


Roaming Spirits

by alex_kom_kongeda



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Clarke, Blood Drinking, F/F, F/M, Mutation, Mythology - Freeform, Prophecy, Reincarnation, Science Experiments, Science Fiction, Slow Burn, Spirits, Violence, wanheda
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-13
Updated: 2017-02-08
Packaged: 2018-08-22 03:52:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 115,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8271646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alex_kom_kongeda/pseuds/alex_kom_kongeda
Summary: Zion, the Keryonfisa, found Clarke a week after leaving the mountain and her people. She is followed by the ghosts of the many she has killed and their weight is slowly breaking her. Zion may just be her salvation. 
"Wanheda isn't just a title, she is a spirit. She was called to you not just because of the people you have killed but because your soul is screaming in agony. It is suffering due to the choices that lead you here. I follow Wanheda and I help who she chooses heal and to become whole."
She learns that the universe is much more mysterious than she could ever imagine and has much more in store for her. Will Clarke embrace who she is meant to be or will the decisions from her past break her?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't watched season 3 at all so I will not be following any of that shit. I plan to draw things out a bit at the beginning so please be patient. This is my first fic so please let me know what you think and I gratefully accept criticism but please be gentle. Also, I discovered I'm awful at tags...so if you think of one that I should include please comment your recommendation. Thanks and I hope you enjoy!

Clarke had officially been wandering the wilderness for a week. She knew that it wasn't a smart move and that winter was coming but she simply couldn't stay with her people. The blonde wouldn't be able to stand the looks of relief and thanks that she would receive from every person at Camp Jaha. Well, except Jasper but Clarke knew that there was absolutely nothing that she could do to undo the pain that she caused him by killing his love in order to save his life. She understood that they were grateful that she saved them but she didn't want to be thanked for causing the genocide of an entire population.

So Clarke wandered. She had no plan on where to go; she just knew that she had to get away, escape from all of the ghosts that were following her. The blonde swore that if she tilted her head just so and looked out of the corner of her eyes that she could see them. However none have approached just yet..thankfully. But she could feel them breathing down her neck at night when she fitfully rested. Clarke didn't know what to do with her ghosts and each night she could feel herself breaking more and more under their weight.

At the end of another day, Clarke built a small fire to keep herself warm and sheltered within its light. There was no rest, just staring within the flames wondering how her life got to this point. She thought of all that had happened since she had been sacrificed to the ground..all of the lives that she had taken to save so few of her own people. _Was it all worth it?_ Her friends and family didn't truly understand her choices. Some even blamed her for the deaths that she caused even though every time it was done only to save them. She thought of her mother yelling at her after the bomb hit TonDC, of Octavia screaming that she hasn't done enough in the tunnels leading to Mount Weather, and Jasper cradling Maya's dead body with hate and blame held in his eyes. _What else could I have done? Who could even tell me what the right choices were?_

As Clarke mind swirled with all of these thoughts and her very soul continued to break, she didn't notice the shadow lingering outside of the fires light. The blondes eyes started to close against her will and her body slumped down against the tree she was leaning against. The constant walking with little food and water have made her body exhausted. She couldn't fight the need to sleep anymore. Her dreamscape gave her no rest, it never did anymore. She watched as the the 300 Trikru warriors were burned at the dropship; the height of the flames, the burning bodies, and the agonizing screams. After, she saw the madness in Finns eyes as he shot down the innocent villagers and then the relief when she killed him for his crimes and the alliance. Next she witnessed the devastated lands of TonDC as the bomb dropped and the buildings and people were torn apart. Last she saw the residents of Mount Weather, she was in the dining hall while the people fell over gasping for air while their skin burned. All of their ghosts crowded her and asked _why?_ , they demanded justice _jus drein jus daun_! Between each horrifying scene, the exact image of the commanders blank face is prominent before she turns her back and walks away. Clarke almost thought that those parts were worse and more heartbreaking than the carnage.

Clarke shot straight up from her uneasy rest gasping for air and trying to flee from the ghosts of all the ones she killed and the reminder of the one that left her. After breathing heavily for several moments, she noticed that someone else was sitting at her fire. She cursed internally that her panic caused her to forget her surroundings. She grabbed her gun and pointed it straight at the mans head while she studied him. He was a large man like most other grounders that she had seen. He had a shaved head with detailed tattoos covering most of his skull and running down his neck beneath the strange robe that he was wearing. His face was clear of any markings or warpaint and his eyes were unwavering yet soft as he gazed upon her. Not a word was said as they both appraised each other. Finally the man spoke, "I am Zion." Clarke blinked in confusion. She had no idea who this person was despite now knowing his name or why he didn't seem to care one bit that she had a gun pointed directly at his face.

"What do you want with me Zion?," Clarke asked silently and carefully. She may be broken by her decisions but she isn't quite ready to die. This man was making her uneasy with his calm and steady behavior. She is too used to the aggression pointed towards her from the grounders. They vilified her for being Skaikru, for being the leader of her people, and for the many deaths of theirs that she and her people had caused.

Zion studied her carefully and briefly looked over her shoulder. Even though it could have been a move to distract her, Clarke quickly looked behind her but saw nothing. Turning quickly back to her guest she made sure that he didn't make a move. "I am a Keryonfisa. I have been called to heal you," Zion softly stated.

"Keryonfisa? What is that supposed to mean?" asked Clarke.

Zion still softly stared into Clarkes eyes and it was starting to creep her out. _He is too kind and gentle. The ground isn't soft so why is he?_ Zion explained, "It means Soul Healer. I have been called to help mend your broken soul and introduce you to the spirit that has been called to you due to your actions and the suffering it has caused."

Clarkes breath hitched. She didn't know who this person was, what exactly he wanted with her, or how he knew anything about her. She spent much time with the grounders during the war but she never really got into conversations about their culture or religions. The blonde was at a loss but she still kept her gun up and on the man.

Clarke decided to confess. "There is nothing that you can do for me healer. I have made my choices and I will live with the consequences. I deserve to feel the pain for all that I have done. My ghosts are my own." Her arm started to ache from keeping her gun aimed. She decided that this healer wasn't a direct threat at the moment so she lowered the gun but kept it in hand, ready for anything he might try.

Silence descended between them. Zion eyed her carefully and took a deep breath before he began speaking again almost as if he was preparing to tell her the secrets of the universe but he wasn't sure if she would be open to hearing them. "Tell me Klark kom Skaikru, do you know of Wanheda?" Clarke shook her head, she hadn't heard that word before. "With your actions, that is what people are calling you. In one quick strike you eliminated an enemy that had been terrorizing our people for almost 100 years. Before that you single-handedly defeated an army that should have easily killed all of your people. You have constantly beaten your enemies. When the sickness was sent to your camp, you healed your people even when you yourself were ill. You also found a way to return the ripa back to life. For these actions, the people see you as the commander of death, Wanheda. You can take life but you can also heal others and return them to life. This title is a great honor amongst our people."

Clarke was frozen. _Of course. The commander of death. I am being praised for being a murderer._ She didn't understand where the honor came into that name. Suddenly the blonde sighed and slumped her body in defeat. _What have I become?_ Clarke tiredly responded, "Okay, so I am now the great commander of death. What does this have to do with you Keryonfisa?"

"Wanheda isn't just a title, she is a spirit. She was called to you not just because of the people you have killed but because your soul is screaming in agony. It is suffering due to the choices that led you here. I follow Wanheda and I help who she chooses heal and to become whole."

The blonde stared at Zion incredulously. She didn't know if she wanted to laugh at this absurd conversation or walk away and forget it ever happened. Clarke wasn't a spiritual person, she believed in science and facts. The stories of the spirit of Heda and the reincarnation of that spirit was mythology in her eyes. The level of her disbelief was slowly lowering. She was simply too tired to care that much and almost wanted to give in to whatever this man was selling just for relief. "So I have a spirit following me and you follow that spirit. You want to heal my soul and make me whole?" Zion gave one nod to the question. "And how exactly do you do that?"

"There is a process, a type of ceremony, to bind Wanhedas spirit to your soul. She will guide you, teach you, and help heal you. There is something you must drink that will put you into a dreamlike state and prepare your body. In this state, you will be able to see and speak with Wanheda. She will tell you the story of Wanheda and teach you how to protect yourself. Your mind will change to take in this new knowledge and your body will change as well. It will become more. There is also a mark that will appear upon your body to mark you as Wanheda. I cannot say where it will appear as it is always different but it will be done as you sleep so there is no pain while you are going through these changes," Zion explained slowly.

Clarke slumped her body down even more as he explained this. She really wasn't sure whether she believed that or not and even if she did, she doesn't know if she really cared. It seemed that during the conversation with the healer Clarke was losing the will to continue on. There was one point that she heard that peaked her interest, if only slightly. "What do you mean protect myself? I am no one. A wanderer in the wilderness and no longer a leader to my people. What would anyone want with me?" Clarke asked.

Zion looked at the broken girl before him. He watched as the fight faded from her eyes as he spoke. He doesn't think the girl believed but without her fight she desperately wanted something to believe in. Zion tried to explain, "Now that you have been named Wanheda, you will be hunted. There are people that will seek you out to kill you for your power."

"Power? I have no power. They think that because I'm a mass murderer that I command death. So they want to take this supposed ability from me by killing me?" Clarke asks. She honestly wondered where these people got some of their ideas from.

Zion understood that this sky girl had different beliefs then those on the ground but he tried to make her understand that her life would now be in danger. "These are the beliefs of our people. They will come after you eventually. When you go through the ceremony to join with Wanheda, she will teach you to protect yourself and others so that you will be safe."

Clarke tried to think about it logically but she was so very tired. Tired of running, tired of just surviving, tired of fighting for her life, and tired of not knowing what to do. Zion said that she can protect herself and others. She was far more interested in protecting others but that was something that weighed her down. She was always trying to protect everyone from enemies and even themselves all the time, from the moment that she walked out of the dropship for the first time. The blonde wished that she didn't care for everyone so much, but it seemed that she always would. Maybe if she agreed, she would be able to somehow atone by doing more for every innocent and not just the sky people. Maybe she could use it to save some innocents to make up for those lost in the mountain. With that thought, she realized that she was starting to believe the spirit talk the man was spouting. She sighed like she was a battle weary veteran that saw another war coming in the horizon that could never be won. Even so, she decided to go with it and with that decision made she feels some of her strength returning. "Okay Zion, I will do this to protect the innocents of these lands. I don't want to see any more innocent people die for the sins of others and if I can help them then I will do what needs to be done."

A small smile graced Zion's face as he takes in the strength and resolve that grew in the blondes eyes. He knew that she would accept as all who are chosen eventually do but he had his doubts for a moment. Zion rose to his feet and explained what would happen next. "There is a safe place that we will move to for the ceremony. It will help protect you during this process. You will be within the dream for some time and both I and Wanheda will protect your body throughout. Even though you will be asleep Wanheda can take control of your body to protect you if needed and you can also emerge if you wish however the pain will be great and you may not yet be able to handle it. But that will change in time."

"How long will I be asleep?" Clarke asked. She grew worried that she will not able to defend herself if needed regardless of Zion and Wanhedas protection.

Zion hummed and replied, "It depends on you and Wanheda but possibly up to a fortnight."

That stunned Clarke. _I will not be in my body for 2 weeks?!_ She wondered what exactly she signed up for but she made her decision and just decided to go with whatever the man said. For some reason, the blonde trusted the man she had only met. In some ways, he reminded her of her long dead father. She briefly thought that she was still too trusting of others considering all of the betrayals that she had suffered through. Regardless, she was a Griffin and when a Griffin made a decision they stuck to it. Clarke got up, put out the small fire, and followed Zion into the dark woods and began walking towards an uncertain future.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the amazing comments guys. I hope you enjoy the next chapter.

Clarke followed Zion for several hours through the trees. The moon was full and the path was slightly illuminated so she at least didn't trip over the many roots and rocks in the path. She enviously watched Zion walk while he practically floated across the ground. He didn't make a sound unlike Clarke. Her every step sounded like a clumsy heard of animals.

Finally Zion stopped and knelt down. Clarke noticed that he was opening a metal door and she realized that it was to an underground bunker. The man led the way down the ladder and walked further into the dark of the bunker and out of sight. With a flicker, lights began to turn on down the tunnel they were in. Clarke was amazed. The only bunkers she had been in had no power and the only place with power was the mountain. That thought made her uneasy. "This isn't part of Mount Weather is it?"

  
Zion shook his head. "No. This is a different underground facility." He noticed the panic that flashed in Clarkes eyes so he rushed to reassure her. "There hasn't been any people here for many years." He waited until Clarke nodded and continued on.

  
She followed him down the corridor for some time before she noticed a change further in the distance. There were more tunnels to choose from and some had doors to hidden rooms. Zion led her through twists and turns within the underground labyrinth until they reached a dead end with several doors along the walls and a large door with no handle and a keypad at the very end. Clarke wondered how he expected to open the door..there may somehow be power in the facility but there was no way that a grounder would know how to bypass that keypad, much less know how to use it. Monty and Raven popped into her mind. She knew that they could figure it out and she felt a pang in her chest as she realized how much she missed them. She wondered how they were. Monty helped her burn the mountain and Raven was on the receiving end of the mountains drills. Her thoughts started to spiral down but were interrupted by the door opening. "Wha-...How did you open that?"

  
Zion saw the shock on the blondes face. "I have the code." Clarke opened her mouth to ask more but he quickly said, "Everything will be explained Klark."

  
Her shock and awe didn't dissipate as she walked into a large room. It looked like a sort of lab on one end and a control center on the other. She walked over to the lab side first and examined the counters and shelves. There were all manner of scientific machines and equipment. Microscopes, centrifuges, several computers and monitors connected to various machines. Beakers, test tubes, syringes, and many vials and bottles filled with different colored liquids. It was an amazing find. Clarke couldn't believe that all of that was there, much less still in perfect order. There was no dust and everything looked as though it hadn't been sitting idle for however long it had been since people last used it. She decided to hold out on asking any questions as she walked over to the control room side. There were dozens of computers sitting on the desks and monitors showing the cameras throughout the facility. Again she was in awe that the place was in perfect condition yet so very empty. Finally she turned to Zion. "What is this place? And why does it look like it's still being used but there is no one here?"

  
Zion looked around the room. For a grounder he didn't seem to be too amazed or confused about the facility or the contents within it. "This is part of Wanhedas story and she will be able to explain it all to you."

  
Clarke wanted to object but she could see the look of resolve in his eyes that meant he wasn't going to tell her. She reminded herself that she agreed to this already in its entirety so she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded to Zion. "Okay then. What next?"

  
Zion walked over to a wall between the two portions of the room and entered through a door that Clarke hadn't noticed on her initial examination. He returned with a gurney and pulled it over to the middle of the room where Clarke was standing. He then went over to the shelves with the bottles of liquid, pulled one down and walked back over to Clarke. He gestured for her to get on the gurney and handed her the bottle once he pulled the top off. The blonde examined what he handed her. The bottle wasn't very large but the shiny silver liquid within caught her eye. She started to have some doubts about this so called ceremony. When Zion explained it, she had been expecting some kind of herbal or possibly some psychedelic concoction but what was before her was definitely not that. It was the result of whatever this lab made and that made her nervous as she thought of the Red from the mountain. "Umm...This isn't going to turn me into a Reaper or something right?"

  
Zion understood her fear. She had been inside the mountain and saw what their scientist had done to people. He tried to reassure her as best he could. "They were savages. This is nothing like what came from the mountain. Once you drink this you will be put in the dreamscape and will be able to speak with Wanheda. She will be able to explain this place to you as well."

  
Clarke took a deep breath and drank the bottle quickly like it was Monty's moonshine. Immediately her eyes began to flutter as sleep overwhelmed her and Zion caught her as she slumped forward. Gently, he placed Clarke upon the gurney and began his watch. He would protect her until she could do so herself and even after. He already felt a fondness for this young sky girl that had made such sacrifices. He was even awed by her. The people of the ground knew war, death, and sacrifice as it was their way of life but the people that came from the sky were soft and sheltered. They didn't know war or pain. The fact that this tiny blonde girl had made such heavy decisions and understood the sacrifice needed to save her people was astounding. She may not have been born upon the ground but her soul was meant to walk upon the earth. Zion gazed at her sleeping face for another moment before turning to the monitors of the facility. He had to make sure that no outside threats found their way in however unlikely that might be.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we get a little history on the background of Wanheda. Also, BAMF Clarke will be coming soon. Please enjoy and let me know what you think!

Clarke opened her eyes. She saw nothing but an empty white, bright room. Almost as though the walls themselves were lit up with a soft yet completely illuminating light. "Hello?"

  
Suddenly a woman appeared in front of her. Clarke froze in shock, all of her muscles locked down as she stared. The woman was beautiful. She had long curly black hair that had braids with feathers and beads twisted in. Her eyes were hazel with a yellow ring around the pupil that almost looked like a sunflower was delicately placed in those orbs. Her skin was tanned golden and she was slightly taller than Clarke. But what froze Clarke was that the woman had huge wings. She couldn't tell just how large they were as the wings were tucked neatly behind the woman's back and were relaxed. They reached slightly above her head and ended just above her ankles. The feathers were a deep black but when the wings twitched during her examination, she saw some of the secondary feathers were a dark hazel similar to the color of the woman's eyes.

  
"Umm..h-hi." Clarke couldn't stop the stutter from escaping.

  
The woman smiled slightly before speaking. "Hello Klark. I am Wanheda."

  
"Right. Okay. Hi. You have WINGS?!" Clarke really tried to be polite but she just couldn't hold it in. _Seriously. What the actual fuck is happening?!_

  
With that, Wanheda smiled wide and Clarke noticed something else different. The winged woman had fangs. Clarke felt a little lightheaded and suddenly sat down. This was a bit too much for her to handle. She understood that this was a spirit but she didn't expect a fanged, winged, and absolutely gorgeous woman to be it. 

  
Wanheda laughed softly. She understood that Clarke was trying to understand. She decided to sit across from her so that they could speak further at eye level. She stretched her wings out to her sides so that she could sit comfortably. She saw Clarkes eyes following her wings movements and cleared her throat to get the blondes attention to her. Clarkes eyes snapped to Wanhedas and slight red dusted her cheeks as she got caught staring.

  
"I understand you are a little overwhelmed. I want to tell you my story first before we go further, is that okay?" Wanheda asked. Clarke nodded her head, still too shocked to speak.

  
"I am the spirit of Wanheda but before I became a spirit I was a girl named Sienna. I was conceived two years after the bombs dropped. My mother was a scientist in the underground bunker that Zion brought you to. The facility was full of scientists and their families and was called New Zion. They were looking at ways they could survive on the ground similar to Mount Weather. Now, the people at both facilities kept in contact to share knowledge and the results of what they were working on to get their people to survive the radiation on the surface. When Mount Weather began experimenting on the people who actually stayed outside and survived the radiation, New Zion cut off communication with them. They didn't believe that their ways were moral. Taking people who had faced so much already against their will just to put them in cages to treat them like lab animals was not what something that New Zion could accept. It wasn't right. So New Zion cut ties with the mountain and pursued their own experiments." Wanheda paused to make sure that Clarke was following and wasn't too overwhelmed.

  
Clarke was amazed. She was hearing the history from the time directly after the bombs dropped from someone who had actually lived it. Hearing the information about Mount Weather made her stomach clench in guilt but at the same time she felt relief that they could no longer torment anyone ever again. She nodded for Wanheda to continue.

  
"The experiments with New Zion consisted of DNA nanotechnology and genetic chimera," Wanheda explained.

  
Clarke wanted to clarify, "So they were using nanotechnology to engineer or rewrite DNA?" Wanheda nodded. "And if I remember my lessons correctly, genetic chimera is combining more than one species together right?"

  
Wanheda nodded but elaborated. "The genetic chimera experiments were to make hybrids. They believed that if they could use the nanotechnology to engineer a humans DNA to mix with the DNA of one or more of the lab animals, that they may be more resilient to the radiation. The lab animals were all genetically modified to be hardier; they were faster, stronger, and healed at a very fast rate. The New Zion lab was originally doing the research to make better soldiers but when the bombs dropped they geared it towards radiation resistance instead."

  
Clarke blinked. "Did it work? Did they make it out?"

  
Wanheda smiled sadly. "They did but they were unstable and didn't last very long on the outside. Their DNA didn't accept the changes."

  
"But what about you?" Clarke realized that the people of New Zion didn't make it but apparently Wanheda, or Sienna, did.

  
"The scientists tried many different combinations of animals during their experiments. Every person consented to be included as did my mother. She didn't know that she was pregnant with me at the time. The nanotechnology altered her DNA with two animals; a black panther and a lammergeyer which is a vicious type of vulture. Those alterations were passed on to me as well." Wanheda seemed to get lost in thought after she spoke of her mother. She stood and held out her hand to Clarke. "Take my hand and I will show you."

  
The blonde was a little nervous to witness the past but she gently grasped the offered hand and used it to pull herself from the floor. The white room vanished. She was back in the lab/control room that she knew her body was still laying in. The room was filled with people in lab coats so Clarke knew this was from Wanhedas past. She could see people getting injected with the various colored liquids from the vials and bottles that she had seen before. Time skipped forward. They were changing. Some grew wings, others claws, and some simply fell dead. There was chaos.

  
Wanheda stayed by the blondes side as they watched the people run about in a panic. "They rushed into it too quickly. They thought that the one successful experiment was enough to move forward with altering everyone in the facility. The changes didn't happen right away so they thought everything worked. The physical changes weren't supposed to happen. Their DNA was unstable and almost every person died."

  
Clarke watched time skip again. The people of New Zion fled their underground prison to see the sky one last time before they died. And they knew they were going to die. There was one woman who remained, the woman had her back to Clarke as she watched the people leave. When she turned, Clarke could she that she was pregnant. The blonde inhaled sharply. "Your mother." She turned to look at Wanheda and could see the resemblance even through the other womans tears. As the blonde turned back to the pregnant woman, she saw a man go back to her side. Clarke gasped. "Zion?"

  
Wanheda understood her confusion, after all, that was almost 100 years ago. "Yes, that is Zion with my mother. They were the only two that stayed. Zion was the first experiment that was successful and my mother lived long enough to give birth to me before she too died like the rest. Only Zion and I made it out of the bunker and survived."

  
"But how...how is he still alive?" Clarke felt that she was in way over her head. Crazy human-animal hybrid experiments; an over 100 year old man that follows around a winged spirit; and a practical genocide that happened by accident due to rushed scientists. Clarke groaned and held her head in her hands. _What the hell is going on?!_

  
The view of the pregnant woman and Zion faded. Wanheda brought them back to the white room and watched as Clarke collapsed on the floor to attempt to get her bearings. "The DNA alterations that occured within me were a little different as I was still being formed within my mothers womb. I took on the extremely fast healing and increased strength and speed that the lab animals were altered with; in addition, all of my senses were heightened to an near impossible level.  I also had a blood mutation that was a side effect of my genetic alterations. I was extremely anemic to the point of death but I was able to supplement that deficiency by drinking blood. As Zion raised me, he shared his blood with me and I did the same with him. As a result, he seems to have stopped aging or maybe is aging very slowly. Neither of us is sure exactly what happened and whether it had anything to do with his own DNA alterations or not. He was the first successful experiment that was done but we don't know what exactly they did during his treatment."

  
Clarke felt the urge to laugh hysterically at that. This is too much. _Wings..fangs..VAMPIRE?!_ She closed her eyes to get control of the desire to freak out over this information overload. _Deep breath in..hold..slowly breathe out. Repeat. Repeat._ After calming down, at least on the surface, Clarke opened her eyes and asked, "What happened after you two left the bunker?"

  
"We stayed hidden in the woods away from most people. I had wings so I wasn't very welcome around the other people who survived the bombs. Zion raised me and trained me to be a warrior so that I could protect myself in the new world. The fighting between the survivors started immediately after the bombs. They fought for food, shelter, and water at first but that slowly extended to land as well after basic needs were met. Zion and I made it our mission to help those in need as we had an advantage..our engineered DNA made us physically superior to the average human. During our travels we found a village that was having issues. Another group of people were taking the women as they left the safety of their homes. The women returned months later beaten and obviously with child. The men that had taken them would use them for their entertainment by seeing how long they could fight them off before they were taken against their will. Once they were confirmed pregnant, they were released. This happened to most of the women who were at childbearing age at that village and almost all the women gave birth around the same time. The men from the other village came in the night. They went to each woman's home, killed everyone inside except the mother and child, and then took the child with them while leaving the women behind."

  
Clarke was horrified. She didn't understand how people could resort to something like that especially since the humanity was almost completely eliminated shortly before. The blonde knew that Wanheda could tell the story made her sick but she held out her hand and continued. Clarke once again took the offered hand but was not looking forward to seeing the aftermath of that horrible event.

  
The white room was replaced by a small village located in a large clearing in the woods. The only illumination was from a half moon in the sky and the many torches scattered throughout the village. Clarke watched as Wanheda and Zion walked into the light from the shadows in the woods. Zion was dressed in his robes and Wanheda was wearing all black. She had two swords strapped to her hips with knives of various lengths littered across her body. The villagers knew who they were. They had heard stories of the winged woman and her companion who saved others whenever they could. The villagers told their story and begged for them to bring back their children that were stolen. Clarke watched as Wanheda agreed and flew off into the night to find the missing children and Zion stayed behind to help the village.

  
Wanheda found the other village not too far away. It was larger than the previous village, mostly filled with tents but with a few larger buildings that were still standing. The central area was bathed in firelight and had large stakes in the ground with 15 young women tied up. The women were naked and covered in blood and bruises. She saw a few men walking between the tents but couldn't see any obvious guards stationed anywhere. As she circled the dwellings from above, she heard several crying children. It seemed that there were being held in a large stone building on the edge of the village and after looking in a window, she confirmed that they were there. Wanheda knew that she couldn't let this continue. Those people were preying on others simply to breed children and use women for their sick entertainment. The torment didn't end even after they were released as those men hunted them down, killed any family or friends in the women's homes, and stole their babies.

  
Wanheda knew that she would have to wait to act and the best time would be deep in the night when most of the men would be sleeping. During her wait, she searched the surrounding area for a safe place to bring the women and children after she freed them. She found a nearby cave that was secure that she could use. She lit a large fire and gathered water and berries from the nearby bushes and left them in the back of the cave. After that was sorted she flew back to the village and made sure that there was no one out of their homes before she landed silently behind the captured women. She released each one, and flew them to the cave. After those women were safe, warm and awake, she flew back and entered the home where the children were. She started moving them to the cave as well. She took two children at a time and rescued all 26 children in short order. The woman immediately took in the children to soothe their cries and cradle them close to offer protection.

  
Clarke watched as Wanheda flew back to the village but she stayed up in the trees. She swooped down to take a torch and proceeded to light each tent on fire from above. Soon men began to pour out of the tents and buildings searching for what was going on. From above, Wanheda began throwing her many knives to the heart or head of the closest enemy. Finally the men looked up and saw her hovering above them. She pulled her dual swords and landed. She twirled around and between the men as they tried to strike her down but as she moved, men were dropping dead left and right from each of her swords. She was too fast for the men and easily cut each one down until none remained. The entire village was dead. Wanheda stood in a field of blood and butchered bodies. She was covered head to toe in the blood of her enemies. Her wings were flared in aggression with her fangs bared while she searched for any that may still be alive.

  
"I removed an enemy for the world who was terrorizing the people that night. There were several other times where the people called on me when they needed drastic help, something that was beyond their abilities. I took many lives of people like those in that village over many years. Even though I knew it was necessary to protect my people, I felt like a monster. I felt like all those that I had killed were like chains on my arms and legs. They were dragging me down more and more each day and I was so tired. I couldn't do it anymore. My soul was broken." Wanheda sadly shook her head. "I was approached once more. I was already weak as I refused to eat and I hadn't taken any blood, so when I was unable to help I was captured by those who had just begged for my help. The people who took me called me a monster, a demon, a murderer. I didn't fight them. I was put in chains, my wings were broken, and they branded me with the mark of Wanheda so all who saw me would know who I was and what I had done. I died shortly after but my broken soul refused to move on. I still wanted to help people somehow so I was made into a spirit. Those who go through what you and I have and feel the things after that we have call out to me and I answer."

  
Clarke didn't realize that she had tears streaming down her face. That was exactly how she felt. She had given her soul to save her people and most spit on her offering. Just like Wanheda. "It seems as though that accepting to become Wanheda I will suffer even more. What is the point?" Clarke cried out.

  
Wanheda reached out and held Clarke against her chest. "I know it is difficult. You and I share the same burden. I'm not going to tell you that your path will be easy but you are already Wanheda. We are being bound together as we speak. I will help you learn to shoulder this burden and help you heal so that you can face any obstacle in the future and overcome it. Even if your path leads you to more death and war, I will show you how to be strong."

  
The blonde was comforted in Wanhedas embrace. She hadn't felt like this since her father was alive and held her in his arms. Clarke took some time to enjoy the peace she felt before she pulled away. She wiped her tears away and looked into Wanhedas eyes. "I understand. Please teach me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got inspiration for Wanhedas engineered alterations from a lovely fic on this site called I Am Heda by Alexis_Payton. I just added a real science twist. If you haven't read it, you should definitely check it out. It is wonderful!


	4. Chapter 4

Zion had been keeping watch over Clarke for five days so far. Wanheda had checked in to update him on her progress. The blonde had been taught combat, war strategies, stealth, and multiple weapons training. Time worked differently within the dream so Zion knew that she would have extensive knowledge in each area. Once she had come out of her dreamscape, Zion would also train with her. Even though Wanheda was teaching her and her body is being modified, Clarke would have never done the moves with her own physical body. It would take a little adjustment, especially with the changes to her body, but once she could connect her knowledge with her muscles she would be a fearsome warrior.

An alarm sounded at the control panel. Zion looked up in concern and walked over to the monitors. The screen showing the entrance to the bunker displayed two people coming inside. The woman was short with brown hair braided back and a scowl planted firmly on her face. The man was tall and muscular with a shaved head and had a calm but cautious look about him. Both had swords upon their backs. Zion ran to the room a short distance down the hall that he converted to hold all of the various weapons he and each Wanheda had collected through the years. He grabbed a sword and attached it across his shoulder. A belt of throwing knives and a quarterstaff were grabbed on his way out the door. He ran down the corridors to locate the two intruders.

Down the last corridor to the entrance, Zion slowed down and yelled around the final corner. "Who are you? Why are you here?"

"I am Octavia. I have been looking for my friend and her tracks led here. Her name is Clarke."

Zion paused to consider. If it was one of Clarkes sky people they wouldn't want to harm her. _Right?_ He decided to test it. "What makes you think that she wants to see you?"

Octavia huffed. "No matter what happened..Clarke is important. I've been hearing whispers from the Trikru and I'm worried about her safety."

Zion came around the corner and eyed the two people, his gaze lingered on the man. "Who are you? And what is the reason you came?"

"I am Linkon kom Trikru. Klark is one of my people. I am here only for her and her safety." Lincoln calmly watched this man who seemed to know Clarke.

"I am Zion. Klark is here however you may not be able to speak with her right now." Zion feels that these two can be trusted, even if Octavia seemed to be hiding a deep anger. Even so, it was not his place to explain what was happening to Clarke. "Follow me if you wish to see her."

Octavia followed but was annoyed by the vague warning. "What do you mean we may not be able to speak with her?" Zion simply ignored her. She huffed again and turned to make sure that Lincoln was following. They made eye contact and silently communicated to each other to be on guard.

They were brought into the lab/control room. Octavia ran to the unconscious Clarke screaming, "What have you done to her?!"

Suddenly Wanheda used Clarke to jump up onto the top of the gurney, she crouched down balancing on her toes and looked ready to pounce. Octavia stopped in her tracks as Wanhedas head tilted to the side as she studied them. "Okteivia and Linkon have come to see Klark," Zion explained.

Wanheda turned to Zion. "Yes, I know of them. Klark has told me much about these two." She turned her head slowly back to Octavia and Lincoln. "Hello. What can I do for you?"

Octavia stared with her jaw dropped. She didn't know what the hell was going on. This was Clarke but she was talking like she wasn't. Not just that, but the voice was different than the one Clarke used, the words were calm and confidant but lacking emotion. Clarke never spoke like that. She helplessly looked to Lincoln as she still couldn't say a word. Lincoln took over for her. "I'm sorry but if you are not Klark, who are you?"

Wanheda let loose a small smirk. Octavia was a little disturbed by how predatory she looked, poised to pounce with a wicked smile on her face. Wanheda looked between the two. "I am Wanheda."

Octavia heard Lincoln gasp. She looked back and forth between the three people in the room, "Okay can someone please tell me what the _hell_ is going on here?"

Wanheda shared a look with Zion silently telling him that she will explain. He nodded. "Do you know of Wanheda Okteivia?" The girl shook her head but said she knew what the word meant. "I am a spirit and I was called to Klark. The deaths she has caused with one hand to save lives with the other make her powerful but the agony she feels because of it make her Wanheda. Right now Klark is in a dream state while her body is changing and while she and I are becoming bound together. The pain is great so she will sleep through the process. When she wakes she will be reborn."

"Oh let me get this straight. Because she let a bomb drop on a village and let all of those people die and then committed genocide at the mountain she is being rewarded? Unbelievable!" Octavia scoffed. Lincoln looked uncomfortable. They heard a growl and found that it was coming from Wanheda.

Wanheda looked furious and her chest was rumbling with her fury. "I understand you are upset about the loss of life but do not speak of things you do not understand." Octavia looked like she was going to speak. "No. You will listen to me Okteivia. You are a warrior with a small perspective on things. You care about protecting those close to you, those you consider yours. You care about winning the battle directly in front of you. Klark is a leader. She has a very large perspective. She cares about protecting everyone; every man, woman and child whether she personally knows them or not. She cares about winning the war which consists of many battles. Sometimes a battle must be lost for the war to be won. If Klark had saved the people of that village then your brother would have been found and killed and the mountain would still be standing. Tell me Okteivia, would you trade your brothers life for that village and thus allowing a terrible plague that has been poisoning these lands for almost a hundred years to still be alive and well?"

Octavia looked away. She knew the answer but the shame burned within her chest.

"Klark has told me much about her life. She has great love and respect for the both of you. Her profound trust for you is the only reason why I will speak with you directly. I first heard her soul when she burned the Trikru warriors sent to kill you. After she killed the boy called Finn and the missile hit the village, I heard it louder but after the mountain...I was unable to hear anything other than her." Wanheda decided to divulge the information to them only because Clarke would trust her life in their hands.

Lincoln was happy with the subject change as he knew the missile was still a deep source of anger for Octavia but also that she wouldn't have sacrificed her brother for TonDC. "What do you mean you heard her?"

Wanheda watched him. She knew that unlike the tiny yet angry warrior before her, he understood the decisions made in war. "Her soul was screaming in agony." Her eyes were haunted as she remembered the soul deep pain that she heard. Never before had any soul screamed as loudly. "She knew that she was sacrificing her soul to save her people each time she took a life but after the mountain..it was the only thing that I could hear. I am drawn to souls who sacrifice themselves to protect their people. Those who take no joy in killing and understand that there is no coming back from that. Zion, the Keryonfisa, found Klark five days ago to explain and offered her the ceremony of joining her soul to my spirit. She agreed which is why we are here."

Lincoln looked to Zion with new respect and bowed his head to him. He had only heard of one Keryonfisa and that was to Hedas spirit. He never thought that he would meet such a respected person. He noticed that Octavia was confused by this and began to explain."Keryonfisas are very rare and very well respected to our people. They are the messengers to the spirits. They can see the spirit they serve before it is bound to a soul. Their responsibility is to follow the spirit to their chosen soul and bind the two together. They then guide both spirit and soul till death."

Zion finally spoke. "Being chosen by a spirit can be a terrible burden. Those chosen may lose themselves to the spirit at the beginning and I am here to ensure that doesn't happen. I will help Klark adjust to her new life and will help or guide her in any way that is needed. Once her fight is over, I will separate the spirit from Klarks body and follow whenever it may lead next."

Some of Octavia's shock and rage was wearing away. She knew that most of her anger was directed at Clarke because she was the easiest to blame. She was in charge and the decisions she made were necessary...mostly. She still had some way to go to get to forgiveness but maybe speaking with Clarke will help. She wasn't sure how she felt about the spirit business however. It seemed that it was only going to weigh more on Clarke shoulders and give her more chances to make life and death decisions for others. But that was another thing she would need to speak with her about. "How long will Clarke be asleep for?"

Zion looked to Wanheda who shrugged. "I'm teaching her within the dream now but if she continues as she is...maybe another week or less."

There is a shared look between Lincoln and Octavia before Lincoln speaks, "We would like to stay here if that is alright. Maybe we can help Klark as well once she awakes."

Wanheda nods so Zion agrees. Wanheda relaxed back on the gurney before her eyes closed. Zion let them know that she will continue working with Clarke. Zion decided to show them to the customized rooms within that last hallway leading to the lab/control room. There was one filled with cots and a large bathroom that was part of the original facility. Another had various articles of clothing, leathers, armor, and boots. One room housed the food that Zion brought into the facility for him and Clarke. Finally, he brought the two to the weapons room and another that was converted for training and sparring. Zion left them to themselves and returned back to Clarkes side. He only had to watch over her a little longer before she awoke and was reborn.


	5. Chapter 5

"Again."

  
Clarke groaned from her position on the ground. Wanheda stood above her with a quarterstaff in hand. "Can we take a break?"

  
Wanheda agreed and sat beside Clarkes prone form. They had already sparred with a single sword, dual swords, daggers, and just their bodies. She glanced at the blonde from the corner of her eyes. "You do know that you are not using your physical body for this so there is no reason for you to be tired right?"

  
Clarke rolled her eyes and sat up. "Even so...I am. Maybe my brain is just tired. We have been doing this every hour of the day for weeks. I thought that I was supposed to wake up by now."

  
"Time works differently here. It may seem like weeks or months here but in reality only a week has passed since you started the ceremony. It allows you time to master everything that I have taught you. You are doing quite well but you must beat me before you can wake."

  
Clarke scoffed. "Beat you?! You are like a master ninja that knows exactly what I'm going to do before I even think of it." She was incredulous that she would be able to do that seeing as she could barely hold her own in their spars.

  
Wanheda smiled. She remembered when Zion was first training her and she felt the exact same. Every time she faced him in a spar she ended on her back in moments. He taught her a great but simple lesson that turned the tides in her favor. "I will tell you my secret and it is very easy to put into practice." Clarke looked at her eagerly. "Don't think. Your body knows the moves so when you fight, let your body work for you. You have mastered every attack and block with every weapon and with your own body already. You know my fighting style and the style of every clan. You are only falling behind in the spars because you are overthinking everything. You body knows what to do so let it. Your mind will help when you do a series of moves together and to also be spontaneous so that your opponent cannot easily guess your next move. Take what the other person does and use it to your advantage."

  
The blonde ran her fingers through her hair in frustration and groaned. "Ugh...you make it sound so easy."

  
Wanheda laughed lightly. "You will understand once you do it. It will also help disguise your moves. You have done very well in masking your emotions but during the spar, I can still see your intentions in your eyes. Not overthinking will help with that."

  
Silence fell over the two but it was easy and comfortable. They had many conversations outside of Wanhedas teachings. They learned about each others lives. Their hopes and fears. Happy and heartbreaking moments. Family and friends. The two got along well as they were kindred spirits who understood each others burdens and responsibilities.

  
Clarke thought of someone else who understood her to that level. _Lexa. Lexa. Lexa._ She sighed and turned to Wanheda. "Can I ask you something?" Wanheda nodded. "Do you think forgiveness is possible for someone who betrays you?"

  
Wanheda thought about that. She knew who Clarke was talking about but she had never been in a position to compare to that. She tried to understand more so that she might be able to help her get through this. The blonde occasionally got lost in thought between their training and had a faraway and sad look in her eyes. Wanheda knew that the commander was the cause of those moments. "Do you want to forgive Leksa?"

  
Clarke lowered her head into her hands and rested her elbows on her bent knees as she thought about it. "I don't know. She and I had something powerful growing between us. I trusted her fully and without doubt as I got to know her. She opened up to me like no one else and even when she didn't say a word, I knew what she was feeling just by looking in her eyes. She has the most expressive eyes I have ever seen...maybe it bursts through her eyes because she refuses to show emotion and she bottles it all up so no one knows that she does actually feel." Clarke shook her head. "For the first time on the ground, I felt alive and that was just from being with her. When she kissed me it was like I was seeing color for the very first time. It changed me...she changed me. But then she left. I understand her decision professionally. She saved her people without the risk of more of her people being killed and I know that I would have done the same. It's the personal betrayal that hurts. She didn't talk to me. She just left me to die on that god forsaken mountain like I didn't matter at all." Clarke looked up into Wanhedas eyes with tears streaming down her face.

  
"I know that you wonder whether she ever really cared at all because she left you. The only way to know is to speak with her. Maybe with time and having a conversation with her about it, you may learn to forgive her. But that is something that you will have to decide here," Wanheda pointed to Clarkes heart. She held open her arms and the blonde fell into them with a sob. She tried her best to comfort the girls heartbreak and uncertainty. Only Clarke and Lexa could decide if there is a way to get past all of that but she prayed that at least her friend could, if only to have something good in her life amongst all of the terrible things she has suffered through.

  
After Clarkes sobs had quieted and her cheeks had dried, does she let go of her friend. The blonde stood up and held out a hand to Wanheda. "Okay enough feeling sorry for myself. Let's get back to you kicking my ass."

  
Wanheda laughed loudly at that. She jumped up and grabbed her quarterstaff. "Remember, don't think. You have to get this down. Keep in mind, sparring with Okteivia will be the only way for her to get over her anger and forgive you so you need to make sure she doesn't beat you into the ground." She laughed again at Clarkes groan.

  
Clarke held her staff slightly away from her body in her right hand with the end pointed towards Wanheda, her left hand was held out in front of her, and her body lowered into position. Her strength was in patience so she waited for Wanheda to make a move while reminding herself to stop overthinking her moves. Almost faster than she could see, Wanheda charged towards the blondes open left side. Clarke quickly spun away from the attack while twirling the staff behind her body into her left hand. She hit Wanheda high on her back as she was still turned away from the initial charge and the hit slightly stunned her. Before she could counter, Clarke grabbed the staff with both hands, slammed the furthest end against the back of Wanhedas knees, and lifted up. The blonde immediately hit the other end of the staff against the other womans chest while she was falling backwards to ensure that she went down. Wanheda slammed hard against the ground and grinned up at Clarke when she felt the end of the staff against her throat.

  
 "Holy shit! I did it!" Clarke yelled in her excitement. _Hmm...not thinking actually does work._

  
"Good. Again."

  
Octavia made herself as much at home as she could. She hated these confined spaces. It reminded her too much of the cages in her life. The space under the floor, the Skybox, Mount Weather. It had been four days and she was getting twitchy. She looked over to Lincoln who was examining the many different swords, daggers, quarterstaffs, and various other items in the weapons room that they found themselves in. The history of the room was amazing but Octavia was tired of it. "Hey Linc. We haven't seen Zion or Clarke in days so can we go bug him for a bit. I'm bored."

  
Lincoln looked up from the intricately carved staff that he held in his hand. The carvings seemed to be a history of sorts from a village or family. He was in awe of the craftsmanship of these weapons. He could tell by sight alone that those weapons came from many different clans over many years and were some of the most detailed and well made he had ever seen. As he looked at Octavia, he could see her foot tapping against the floor and her hands twitching against her thighs which he knew meant she was feeling antsy. He knew that she needed to do something. He nodded and gently set the staff down again.

  
They walked the short way down the hall to the dead end that led to Clarke and Zion and saw that the door was still closed. Octavia knocked and they waited until it was opened before they entered the room. Lincoln was looking towards Zion by the monitors and he saw him periodically glancing between the screens and the center of the room where Clarke was. After several moments of silence he looked towards Octavia as she was the one who wanted to bother Zion. He saw her staring wide eyed towards where Clarke lay with her jaw hanging open. Lincoln frowned and finally looked towards Clarke before he froze as well.

  
Octavia was the first to shake out of it. "Umm...Zion. Was that supposed to happen?" Her arms were flailing around wildly while she pointed to Clarke.

  
Zion looked curiously to Clarke before turning back to Octavia. "Yes. Clarke will be waking soon. She has been trying since this morning so it shouldn't be long." He noticed the question in Octavia's face before he elaborated. "As I told you before, her changing body causes her much pain. The last portion of the ceremony is for her to accept and overcome that pain. Once she can do so, she will be able to wake."

  
As he was speaking Clarke let out a deep groan before she tried to sit up. The pain was still too much for her to handle so she slipped back into her sleep. This happened several more times before she was successful. The blonde could still feel the pain but she could push through it and function again. Clarke slowly sat up and opened her eyes. She noticed that everything she saw was so sharp and clear, almost like her vision was magnified. She could see the small motes of dust gently moving in the air. The blonde noticed that she was hearing several rhythmic whooshing noises and looked around to see where is was coming from. She noticed that there were three other people in the room. Zion she expected but Octavia and Lincoln came as a surprise. She titled her head as she examined her two friends. Her vision was so sharp that she could see each of the pores of their skin if she focused and she noticed that the whooshing noises were matching up with each breath and each pulse of their hearts that she could see throbbing at their necks. She finally turned to Zion. "So it looks like the ceremony worked then?"

  
Zion went over to the blonde. "Yes. It was a success. You are now bound with Wanheda. You have all of the knowledge that she gave within your mind and next I will be furthering that and testing you. You may have mastered everything within your mind but I need to make sure that your body is on track as well."

  
"Well I've already had months of training in my dream so can I eat first? I'm starving." Clarke asked while stretching her arms above her head. She saw something dark out of the corner of her eyes and turned her head. "What the fuck?! Why do I have wings?!" Those very wings starting flapping around in her agitation and as she spoke she felt something sharp with her tongue. Her hands flew up to her mouth to confirm what she desperately hoped wasn't true. "And FANGS?!" Her wings started jerking around more violently with her upset.

  
Zion was confused. He spoke slowly in uncertainty and to help calm her down, "Both Wanheda and I explained that your body would change. You saw Wanheda. You know what she looked like."

  
Clarke began breathing quickly, on the verge of a panic attack. "Yes you said my body would change but you didn't mention these _additions_ would be included. How in the hell was I supposed to know that this would turn me into a winged _vampire_?!"

  
Octavia watched Zion trying to soothe Clarke. She was torn between wanting to laugh, because Clarkes wings were flapping around wildly and it looked absolutely ridiculous, or wanting to help calm her down. Suddenly one word that Clarke had said came back into her mind. Her brain stopped before it started taking off again even faster than before. "I'm sorry but did you say that you were a fucking VAMPIRE?!" She ignored the warning look she got from Lincoln. He seemed to be taking everything a whole lot better than her. _I wonder if that was included in the stories of Wanheda._

  
The wildly thrashing wings calmed as the blonde focused on Octavia. Clarke saw the other girl gulp and eye her nervously. Suddenly Clarke burst out laughing. "Out of everything..." Her laughs slowly calmed to giggles. "I have gigantic wings flapping around on my back and fangs and you are calmly watching on but once I say vampire you lose your nerve." She saw Octavia get irritated by that. "O don't worry. It's just that I did the same thing when I talked to Wanheda but I got stuck on the wings. By the time we got to vampire, I was in information overload."

  
"Yeah well in my defense, I saw those wings earlier so they already had my freak out directed at them." Octavia answered.

  
Zion directed the blondes attention back to him as he went back into the room that held the gurney. He pulled out a large mirror on a stand and brought it over to Clarke as he knew that she would want to see the changes made to her.

  
Clarke tried to stand up to get in front of the mirror but she stumbled. She caught herself on the edge of the gurney. "Looks like I'm going to have to get used to the weight of these things. Wait! Am I going to be able to fly too?" Zion nodded as Clarke looked at him with excitement shining in her eyes. She gingerly made her way over to the mirror to look herself over. The blonde wanted to examine the wings first. She noticed that they seemed the same size as Wanhedas reaching above her head but trailing just above the floor. The feathers were the same deep black color. She tried to actually control the movement of her wings and started by spreading them out till they were fully on display. They were huge and absolutely magnificent. The secondary feathers were a dark blue unlike the hazel of Wanhedas. _They must be different for each person. Hmm...they seem to match my eyes but just in a darker shade._ She heard Octavia gasp but was too focused on watching her wings move in the mirror.

  
"Later I can also teach you to hide away your wings." Zion mentioned. Clarke decided to file that away for future review rather than get into it then.

  
As her gaze moved to her face she noticed something on the left side of her neck. She tilted her head to the side with wide eyes to see white raised scarring. She remembered that she was going to be marked as Wanheda. The scars traveled from beneath her jaw down her neck and disappeared into the collar of her shirt. Quickly Clarke removed the remains of her jacket and shirt as it seemed the growing of her wings tore through the back of both items but noticed that her tank top still covered the marking. Not caring about her audience, she tore that off as well leaving her only in her bra.

  
A wolf whistle distracted the blonde from the mirror. She turned to see Octavia grinning widely. "Damn princess. You got fit on us." Only then did Clarke look down to her arms and abs. _Holy shit! I have muscles!_ She poked at the impressive wall of muscles that wrapped around her core and found that they felt a lot harder than they looked.

  
After ogling her newly defined form, her attention went back to the mirror and the marking that spread across her skin. _This mark is huge!_ _It looks like a brand just like from Wanhedas story._ She could see that the scar stretched from beneath her jaw, down her left shoulder and along the length of her left arm while also looping down to mark her over the top of her left breast. The whole thing was made of thick flowing tribal lines with designs throughout. Looking closer, the brand on her neck had a trinity Celtic knot set in between a pair of tribal designed wings. The symbol upon her breast was a triangle empty in the middle save for the shape of a flickering flame with two triangles set behind the main one which made it look like a simple depiction of a mountain range. On her forearm were three relatively large symbols in a line from elbow to wrist. The one closest to her elbow looked like an hourglass within a circle and with a horizontal line splitting the top portion from the bottom. In the middle of her forearm was a symbol in the shape of a ladder. The symbol closest to her wrist was an unusual shape. It almost looked like dual hooked swords held together at the hilts but with the blades angled away from each other with the tips facing away outwards and as if the swords were held horizontally. Connecting all of the various symbols were the thick, swirling, tribal lines and what looked like feathers twisted between the lines. The feathers were the only part of the entire design that wasn't white but instead were black.

  
Clarke turned to Zion. "What do these mean?"

  
The man seemed a little shocked. He shook his head a little and focused on the design. "First the one on your neck is the symbol for Wanhedas spirit. The Celtic Knot represents how everything is connected and the continuous cycle of existence.The one on your chest is your personal symbol. The three triangles and the flame depict that you burned down the mountain. The flames can also be applied to what occured at your first camp on the ground." Zion gently grabbed the blondes wrist to display the arm markings. "This one," he points to the mark by her elbow, "means change. The one in the middle represents mortality. And the final one," he motions to the scar near her wrist, "is mercy. I have never seen so many markings on any person chosen by Wanheda before. She must have seen much greatness within your soul for this to be the result."

  
Clarke decided to ignore that for now so she just nodded and continued with her examination. Next she moved on to her mouth. She started by smiling then opening her mouth wide to check out the very sharp fangs she now sported. She noticed that if she didn't fully smile she could hide them but when she thought of the purpose of those fangs she forgot about thoughts of hiding them. She uncertainly looked at Zion. "Will I need to drink blood as well?"

  
Zion sighed before he walked closer to her. "It's possible. The mutation that Wanheda had that made her extremely anemic may have been caused as she was altered while in the womb. Since you did not have that mutation before, you may not have to. However, every Wanheda that I have served had the need because the change to their bodies and the merging with Wanhedas spirit replicated the mutation."

  
Clarke sighed. "So when will we know?"

  
"If you become extremely tired for no reason, feel lightheaded, or become very thirsty then you will know that you have the mutation. Those are symptoms of normal anemia but they will grow in intensity and you will need to drink my blood. If that happens, as long as you drink every few days you will not have to suffer from those symptoms again." Zion didn't want her to worry but he had to remind himself that although it was normal for him it most certainly wasn't for her. "Now, why don't you try walking around so you can get used to the weight of the wings. I will bring you something to eat while you do that."

  
The blonde slowly began to walk around the gurney. She wanted to keep close to catch herself if she stumbled until she was used to the change to her body. Clarke noticed Lincoln and Octavia watching her. "Not that I'm not happy to see you two but what are you doing here?"

  
Octavia looks to Lincoln but he nods to her to answer. "Well after the shit show with the mountain and once everyone was back at camp, Linc and I offered our services to hunt for everyone since we all know the adults from the Ark are useless on the ground and don't know how to do anything for themselves. On one trip we were close enough to overhear some Trikru whispering about the mountain slayer and a bounty so we went back to Mount Weather, followed your tracks, and showed up here about a week ago."

  
Lincoln nodded. "I wanted to make sure you were alright Klark." He offered a small smile.

  
"Thank you O and Lincoln. It really means a lot that you are still looking out for me. Are you planning on sticking around?"

  
Lincoln noticed a flash of irritation on Octavias face and knew she was thinking about TonDC so he answered for them. "Yes. Zion told us about the struggles you may face now that you have been bound with a spirit and that you will be continuing your training. We thought we could keep you company and help."

  
Clarke nodded and smiled gratefully. Her gaze lingered on Octavia. She knew that even though the other girl was being pleasant, they had a lot to work through. The brief flashes of annoyance and rage in the brunettes eyes were easy to see. The blonde decided to take Wanhedas advice in sparring with Octavia. _Hmm..a good fight will give O the opportunity and excuse to rage out at me and get it out of her system._ The blonde suddenly stopped. "Wait. Does anyone know where you are?" The two looked at each other and shook their heads. "Crap. Well you should probably check in with them or at least Bell so that he doesn't get worried." Octavia agreed that they would make a trip soon.

  
Her smile widened while Zion came back in the room with food for her. She ate the dried meat and berries quickly, topping it off with some water. She turned to Zion. "Are you ready to begin my training?"

  
The man nodded and guided Clarke to the training room while Lincoln and Octavia followed. The blondes walk was slightly unsteady but soon she eased into a soft, gliding gait as she got used to the extra weight of her wings.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Training with Zion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the bookmarks, kudos, and comments! They are food for my soul. I love the idea of fan art for my winged Clarke. If anyone is artistic enough to accomplish that...cause I am definitely not... I would love you for all of eternity!  
> The meeting with Lexa and the grounders will be coming up in maybe 2-3 more chapters depending on how much I can cover in the next chapters. If anyone has an requests on additions to the story, please comment to let me know. This story came to me in a dream over several days so that's where I'm starting and I have an idea where the story is heading but I can try to add in some ideas as I go.
> 
> Also, I hope it's clear but in case it's not:  
> Sentences in italics are that characters thoughts.  
> Sentences in italics in quotations are in Trigedasleng cause I'm not too keen on figuring out how to translate those conversations into the language.  
> Sentences in bold are flashbacks.

Zion led the trio out of the lab/control room before stopping. "Let me show you the other rooms that we will be using while we stay here." Even though Octavia and Lincoln were familiar with the space, Clarke never explored further than the hallways on the way in and the lab. Zion started on the left side of the hallway and opened the corresponding doors to each room he described. "The first room is for bathing and sleep. The next one down is for food and water storage. We will need to hunt soon to get more supplies for all of us. This last door has a variety of clothing as well as armor and boots. You can find warmer clothes for winter and clothes that will work with your wings" He moved to the right side and back by the lab before he continued. "This room houses all of the weapons that we have collected throughout the years. You can choose whatever you like to train with or to keep. This last room is for training and sparring. We will be spending a lot of time in the near future here to test your skills."

  
Clarke was drawn into the weapons room. She was never a fan of all of the sharp blades that all of the grounders carried but she now felt an affinity for them. She entered the room and went directly to a table holding several different swords. There were broad swords, short swords, katanas, and sets of dual swords. After examining the look and the weight of each sword, she decided on a set of dual swords that had Wanhedas mark designed on the grip. She pulled the swords from their sheaths before swinging them through the air with a flourish in each hand.  The swords were lightweight and evenly balanced. The blonde nodded her head in approval before attaching them to her back. The sheaths were specially designed with a buckle on the front which allowed her to attach them to herself without her wings getting in the way. The swords were crossed and rested comfortably between her wings with a grip over each shoulder.

  
Next, the blonde walked over to the throwing blades. There were various sized throwing knives and throwing stars upon the table along with thigh sheaths and belts. Clarke gravitated to a set of knives. The knives were completely flat, the grips were wrapped in all black leather with no cross guard. All eight knives were held in a thigh sheath and Clarke secured that on her left thigh. The blades pointed down and there were rings on the end of each grip that allowed for easier reach to draw one of the deadly blades quickly. Before moving on, the blonde saw some assassin blades at the back of the table hidden beneath some cloth. She quickly wrapped those in the cloth to carry in hand. _These would be useful. I'll have to make sure my new clothing has places to hide these._

  
Clarke decided to bypass the daggers. Even with her mixed feelings about Lexa, she wanted to keep the dagger that the commander gifted her. With that in mind she left the commanders dagger strapped to her right thigh but paused for a moment to place her hand upon the grip to think about the green eyed beauty that gave it to her. With a sigh the blonde pushed her troubled thoughts about Lexa to the back of her mind and moved to the far wall that displayed a wide range of bows and quivers full of arrows. She pulled down several to see the flexibility and tension once they were strung before selecting a very strong bow that had distressed leather around the grip. The blonde knew that before her transformation, for lack of a better word, she would have never been able to pull back on the string but now the strongest bow out of the lot was easy for her. Clarke grabbed the matching distressed leather quiver and inspected the arrows. They were all in good condition and with her new knowledge it would be easy to make more arrows in the future.

  
A shine of metal by the quarterstaffs leaning against the wall caught the blondes attention. She approached the metal object and found a nine section metal whip. Clarke remembers training with one with Wanheda and she was rather fond of the difficult to use but deadly and effective weapon. She unfurled the whip and found it to be almost the length of her body. The handle had leather wrapped around it leading to nine lengths of metal connected by sturdy metal rings. The other end of the whip had a sharp metal dart the length and weight of the handle; there was also a rectangular flag attached near the dart. She recalls what Wanheda explained about this type of whip. **-Wanheda unwrapped the whip from around her waist and swung it through the air. The flag attached caused a rushing sound as it flew around her body. "This is an effective weapon either in battle or as an assassins tool. This weapon moves too fast for the human eye to see. You can use it to whip, hit, hook, or bind an opponent. The dart can be coated in poison as well. It also allows you to deflect the blows from your enemies weapons. The flag will allow you to pinpoint where the dart is as it moves around your body." After a few more swings around her body, Wanheda handed it over to Clarke.-** The blonde remembered that she ended up hitting her own body more often than not until she mastered the weapon. She happily added the whip to her growing arsenal.

  
Clarke turned to leave the room but Zion stopped her. He handed her the decorated staff that Lincoln previously admired as well as two small daggers. "This was Wanhedas first staff and these are two daggers that you can hide. One here," he pointed to the blondes chest, "and one can be woven into your braids." Zion followed Clarke out into the hallway where Octavia and Lincoln waited before going to the training room.

  
Octavia cleared her throat before they entered. "Clarke, we're going to check in at camp while you do your training with Zion. I really don't need Bell freaking out and stomping out into the woods to find me. He's probably already worried. We'll be back though."

  
The blonde nodded but her body was tense. "Yeah sure O, I understand." She shifted her feet uncomfortably. "Look...you can't tell them about this." She gestured to herself and the bunker in a vague gesture. She saw the change in Octavia's face.

  
"Don't worry," spat Octavia. "I won't tell anyone about this little secret either." The visibly angry girl spun on her heel, stomped down the hallway, and turned the corner.

  
Clarke shifted her gaze to Lincoln. She remembered that those were the same words she gave the other girl after the missile at TonDC so she knew why she was upset. The blonde sighed. "Lincoln, please tell them that I miss them and I will be seeing them soon. If they ask...just tell them I'm healing. Coming to terms with my choices. I just don't want them to worry." Clarke rubbed her temple. "Maybe I can explain this," she waved her hands to her wings, "after I see them. We'll see."

  
Lincoln nodded. He understood the difficulties that Clarke faced, especially now, but he knew that she was strong. He didn't understand how her own people treated her the way they did. She saved them time and time again but he has always seen that the sky people treat her like a child and always questioned her decisions. He knew that the sky people still exist only because of Clarke. "Don't worry Klark. I will tell your mother and your friends that you are well. I know that you will see them when you are ready. And don't worry about Okteivia, she will come around. We will be back soon." He turned to walk away but looked back at Clarke. "I believe in you Klark. You are stronger than you know." He departed with a smile to the blonde.

  
"So how about we get to training. I know that Wanheda taught you trigedasleng as well so from now on we will speak that only. We need to make sure your accent and pronunciation is correct." Clarke turned back to Zion and they both entered the training room.

  
Zion tested her archery first by having her hit several targets at different distances and various moving targets. She then repeated the target practice with the throwing knives and dagger.  After multiple bulls eyes on each they moved to the sparring ring. He went through defensive and offensive moves with each weapon to ensure that she retained all of them from her training. Once he was satisfied, he declared that they would spar with each weapon.

  
They started with the quarterstaff. Clarke lowered her body into position and watched Zion closely. She was a little concerned as she didn't learn how to fight with the wings on her back. She had gotten used to the weight while walking but she knew that they would affect her movements at first during the spar. Zion suddenly struck out while she was musing. The blonde blocked the strike aimed at her head with one end of the staff and quickly moved the opposite end to hit Zion in the ribs. They traded blows and blocks back and forth with neither gaining ground.

  
_"Remember to shield your emotions and intentions. You are giving things away in your eyes."_ Zion gently scolded her. He smiled slightly when he noticed all emotion drain from the blondes face. She put up an icy mask of indifference and stoicism that was impressive. Even her eyes were hard and cold. He couldn't read her at all now.

  
Clarke took the advice to heart and started looking for an advantage. She decided not to wait for Zion to make another move and began an aggressive attack. She moved quickly and struck out with her staff repeatedly. Zion could hardly keep up with the fast attack and he had no chance to strike back. While he was blocking a hit on his left side, Clarke swiftly hit his open right shoulder hard. She noticed the strike weakened his dominant arm for a moment so she took the opportunity to slam the end of her staff on his, near his left hand. The hard strike and the weakened grip on his right hand caused him to lose the staff. Clarke took advantage of his loss of weapon. She jabbed the point of her staff hard into Zions chest knocking his upper body backwards before she dropped into a crouch swinging her leg behind his to drop him to the ground. The blonde stood up and pressed the staff to his throat before he conceded.

  
Zion coughed to catch his stolen breath, weakly laughed, and grabbed Clarkes outstretched hand. _"Good. Now lets move on to the daggers."_

  
They fought with daggers then moved on to swords. Clarke found that she adjusted quickly to fighting in the real world even with the wings. They actually helped her keep her balance and provide more power to her moves. Clarke found that she easily defeated Zion with each weapon once she got the hang of using her full body. _"Can we lose the weapons for the final spar tonight?"_

  
Zion began removing the weapons placed all over his body and watched the blonde do the same. _"Your sleng is good. You still need to get the slur down but with practice, you will sound like a native of the ground."_ He saw the blonde nod before she lowered her weaponless body down into position.

  
Clarke smirked. _"Bring it on old man."_ She took unholy joy in the shocked expression on Zions face and struck out with her left fist. He easily recovered and reached out to grasp her extended arm but he was too slow. They traded punches, kicks, and hits from elbows and knees. The blonde grinned after Zion got a punch into her face. She felt her sharp canine pierce into her lip and the blood leaking from her mouth. She decided to go on the offensive with her moves. Clarke feigned to her left before executing a high kick with her right leg. Zion ducked below her foot. As he was rising, Clarke jumped high into the air to deliver an unexpected left hook but it never connected. Suddenly the blonde yelped. _"Zion!! Help!"_

  
The room was instantly filled with Zions bellowing laughter. He watched as Clarke was hovering about five feet off the ground, wings slowly flapping and with panic splashed across her features. He couldn't speak through his laughter so he only shook his head.

  
_"Seriously. Stop! I don't know what the hell I'm doing."_ Clarke watched as a fresh wave of laughter spilled from the mans chest. The blonde narrowed her eyes in annoyance and felt a rumbling in her chest. Thankfully for her, the distraction calmed her anxiety about being in the air with no control. _Good for me but very bad for him._ She growled at him and said, _"Okay old man you brought this on yourself."_ Her desire to tackle the man to the ground was enough to get a semblance of control over her flight. She changed direction and flew...or fell, depending on the perspective.. quickly on top of Zion. She took satisfaction in the widening of the mans eyes as he saw her coming. They fell to the ground in a heap and the blonde took advantage of Zion getting the breath knocked out of him to twist her body until she was sitting on top of his chest with his arms pinned beneath her knees and her hands gently but firmly at his throat. She laughed at the dazed and slightly confused look on the mans face.

  
Zion was a tad bit shocked. He heard the angry growl that erupted from the blonde before she darted at him and next he knew he was down and immobilized by the tiny spitfire of a girl. Once he heard her laughter, his eyes softened and he smiled wide. He was so happy to see Clarke like this. He remembered the haunted eyes that she had when they first met and a face that looked like it would never smile again. He felt his fondness grow for this girl and was beginning to look at her almost like a daughter. _"Very good. I did not see that coming."_ He chuckled. _"But we need to work on your flying next I think, but we will save that for tomorrow."_ The next laugh that escaped couldn't be helped as he watched the blondes face scrunch up in distaste.

  
Clarke easily leapt off of Zion, making sure that she didn't accidentally launch herself into the sky again, and held a hand out for him. She smiled at the proud look that graced Zions face when he looked at her. The feeling of doing something right and getting approval from an adult was one that she hadn't felt since her dad was alive. She glanced at the ceiling to stop the tears forming in her eyes from falling at the thought of her father. _I miss you dad. I hope that you could be proud of me even after everything that I have done._ Clarke reached out to hug Zion, silently thanking him for everything. For helping her, for believing in her, and for just being there. She felt him tense slightly but he soon relaxed and gripped her around the shoulders while avoiding her wings. The blonde felt so small next to him, her head barely reached up to his chest, but she felt safe in a way that she hadn't since the last time her father hugged her. The blonde startled at a sudden noise and realized that it was coming from her. She pulled back to look at Zion with a question written on her face.

  
The man smiled and huffed out a small laugh. _"Remember that you have animal DNA now Klark. You growled at me when I was laughing at you and when you were content just now you...well, you purred."_

  
The blonde hid her face in her hands as her cheeks burned with embarrassment. "Oh god." Her words were muffled in her hands. Zion gently grabbed her wrists to pry her hands away from her face. Once she emerged from hiding she noticed something on her hand. It was wet, shiny, and silver. "Umm?" She displayed her hand to Zion.

  
_"That is your blood. The drink that you had before with the nanotechnology within it, is now also within you. They live in your body, in your veins. If you sustain an injury, they will heal you very quickly and if you ever had great need, you could feed your blood to someone gravely injured so that they may live. The nanotech will heal their injuries but as their body hasn't been modified like yours, the nanotech will shut down and be expelled from their blood and tissues. But you must be careful of this."_ Zion looked at her sternly. _"If people knew they would want your blood for themselves and would try to beg for it or try to take it by force."_ He kept up his stern stare until he saw Clarke nod in understanding. _"Enough for today. You can bathe and rest now. We will begin again tomorrow."_

  
Clarke stretched her arms above her head but didn't notice her wings fanning out as well. She went back into the room with cots and showers to get cleaned up. The blonde managed to awkwardly use the showers with her wings sticking out of the stall so she could wash her body and hair. As she left the bathroom in only a towel she saw a pile of clothes on the nearest cot. The blonde smiled to herself at Zions thoughtfulness. She decided to use the breast wrap instead of her bra, slipped on some boyshorts and socks, and laid down to get some rest.

  
When she woke, Clarke felt well rested and eager to learn more about her wings. The trepidation wore off overnight and for that she was thankful. She decided to stay in her minimal amount of clothes since they already covered everything delicate and slipped into her boots before looking for Zion. She stopped by to grab some food for the both of them and found him in the training room meditating. Clarke stopped and tried to back quietly out of the room so as not to disturb him but he opened his eyes, smiled, and called her over. She handed over the food and sat beside him.

  
They finished their food and decided to warm up with a hand-to-hand spar. Clarke managed to win the majority of the matches but her distracting thoughts on learning to fly caused her back to hit the floor more than once. Zion got up from his last pinned position on the ground and breathed heavily. He quirked an eyebrow. _"Since you are distracted, let's move on to flying now shall we?"_ Clarke opened her mouth to deny that but he cut her off by raising his eyebrow further. _"You're wings are twitching. Until you learn to control them, they will give away your emotions. I can tell you are excited."_ Clarke blushed slightly before she nodded. _"This room will be big enough for now. The ceilings are high enough so that you can get some air without hitting them. We can move outside when you have more control."_

  
Clarke followed Zion into the middle of the room before turning to him for direction. He stepped back and told her to jump as high as she could. She was dubious about that approach but did as he said. After dozens of jumps, her patience was running a little thin. She huffed as she vaulted into the air again. _"How is this going to teach me to use my wings?"_

  
Zion let his amusement show. _"You need to want to get higher. The wings are a part of you and will do as you wish but you just need to learn how to make that happen. When you jump, think about going higher still. Imagine your wings expanding to catch the air before they fan down to push you up. Once you feel it for the first time you will know how to repeat it."_ He paused before his face split into a huge grin. _"Well...the first time you mean to fly. Yesterday didn't count."_

  
_"Yes, yes. It was so very amusing...for you. Now hush, I need to concentrate."_ Clarke scolded him. She watched the man roll his eyes. She closed her eyes to focus herself. _Okay jump and imagine my wings expanding to lift me up._ Clarke bent her knees low and used her newly defined and strengthened muscles to launch herself up. She imagined feeling her wings spread to keep her in the air. She was focusing so hard on the mental image of her flying that she didn't notice that she hadn't landed. She was startled by Zion cheering her on and promptly fell on her ass...hard. _"Damn it!"_ She flopped the rest of her body flat on the ground to nurse her bruised behind and pride.

  
_"Don't be upset. You did it! Do you remember what it felt like?"_ Zion saw the blonde nod reluctantly. _"Now get up and do it again."_

  
The blonde grumbled but slowly got back onto her feet. She repeated her earlier movements but she kept her eyes open that time. She felt herself lift into the air and felt the muscles connecting from her back to her wings and the muscles within them move. She was hovering in the air. Deciding to push herself, she went higher despite the warnings from Zion. She reached about ten feet above the ground before she decided to move in a new direction. The blonde slowly and clumsily made it to one wall and got used to the feeling before she flew to each wall. Finishing with a wide circle, she attempted to land on her feet next to Zion. A miscalculation resulted in her landing on his head. _"Shit. I'm sorry."_ She pulled them up and dusted them off. A wave of dizziness and exhaustion consumed her and she stumbled.

  
Zion saw the blonde lose her footing and grabbed her arm before she fell. He recognized the symptoms and knew Clarke wouldn't like what she would need to do now.

  
Noticing an uncomfortable look upon Zions face, Clarke sighed. _"I know. My mother is a healer and I know these symptoms from what you told me. I am officially an actual fucking vampire."_ She noticed the slight relief on the mans face and assumed he was glad that she was taking the news so easily. She wasn't but she learned how to don the best mask to hide her fears. Zion held out his arm with his wrist up and moved it towards her face. _Okay, that is fucking pushing it. Give a girl a minute to breathe dammit!_ She ducked away from the man and moved a few steps away. To his credit, Zion gave her time to process her body's new need. After several moments Clarke put her game face on and held her hand out for Zions arm. She gently grabbed his left hand and brought the wrist to her mouth. _You can do this. If you don't, you could die. It's just blood...think of it as a transfusion. That tastes of copper and is thick and warm and.. STOP!_ Clarke took a deep breath, cleared her mind of its chatter, and bit into Zions wrist. After the initial gross out, Clarke found that it wasn't terrible tasting and almost started to taste good. She chalked that up to her body craving the nourishment. Once she felt the lightheadedness and fatigue lifting, she detached her fangs from his arm. She brought a finger to her mouth and punctured it on her sharp fang before rubbing her silver blood into the wound on Zions arm. She watched in fascination as the holes slowly mended until there was nothing but a light pink scar. _"Wow."_ She didn't have any sufficient words for what she just saw.

  
_"How did you know how to do that?"_ Zion had a puzzled expression on his face. Clarke only shrugged her shoulders and said it was a feeling. He knew that Clarke was unaware that sharing blood resulted in even closer bonds being made, it expanded on what was already there. He already felt the fondness for his young friend grow. He saw it in her eyes when she noticed the same. She got a shy look and shuffled her feet. Zion understood and held his arms open for her. She nuzzled into his broad chest and helplessly started purring. He thought _daughter_.

  
Clarke thought _dad_. She imagined that a piece of her father floated down from the skies and landed within this man that held her so gently. She smiled wide at the thought and burrowed in closer while her purring picked up volume. That time, she wasn't the slightest bit embarrassed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact:  
> Nanotechnology to engineer DNA is a very real thing. Generic chimera is as well. I took these real life scientific possibilities to create some science FACTion for your reading pleasure.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Octavia and Lincoln return. Training and a hunt before a journey.  
> ***I was reading over the story and I realized that I left out a small part. The beginning of the chapter was added to before the line.***

Over the next few days Clarke and Zion continued their training. With a variety of weapons, with no weapons, and flying. The blonde was a fast learner and the months she experienced in the dreamscape had already taught her much. She did learn how to fight with a larger opponent and one with a different fighting style during the training she had with Zion. The idea to test herself further had been forming in her mind however. She planned on sparring with all three of the others once Octavia and Lincoln returned.

  
Clarke and Zion walked into the sparring room at the start of a new day. Zion turned to the blonde and said, _"Today we are going to work on hiding your wings."_

  
The blonde was confused. They were gigantic, black wings and she couldn't imagine how she would be able to hide them. She looked at him incredulously. _"And just how are we going to manage that?"_

  
_"Since you are bound to a spirit you are able to hide your wings in the spirit plane. You will only be able to do that to your wings though. The wings didn't grow until you had been bound to Wanheda and as such you have the ability to shield them away within her plane."_ He gave a lopsided smile. _"It will allow you to blend in more...as long as you don't show off your teeth. Most of the people on the ground have heard whispers and tall tales of Wanheda but it has been many years since she has been bound to a soul. The people don't really know about the changed appearance that happens nor your new nutrition requirements.  The facts have been forgotten or twisted in fiction. The stories will help shield you somewhat from the fear or desire to become Wanheda themselves as they don't know the full extent of what you now know and what you can now do. There will of course still be those that will try to take your power however it will be less than if they knew everything."_ He saw the brief look of worry in the blondes eyes. _"You are more than able to protect yourself now and you will always have me by your side to help."_ He smiled warmly at Clarke.

  
The blonde felt tears well up in her eyes. _"I understand that doing this is your responsibility."_ Zion looked like he was about to interrupt but she shook her head and smiled. _"It's not the only reason, I know that. I just wanted you to know that it means so much to me. You have helped me more than you know. I was broken, almost beyond repair, when you found me but you led me to something better. You have cared for me, comforted me, and kept me safe."_ Clarke didn't notice the tears streaming down her face but she wouldn't have cared if she did. _"I feel as though you carry within you a piece of my father. I have felt the care and the love you have for me and not just because I am Wanheda but because of me...just Clarke. I couldn't do this without your support and your love."_ She watched him smile wide before engulfing her in a hug. She snuggled into his arms and purred loudly. No other words were needed.

  
Zion wiped the tears from the blondes face before they got started on the training for the day. _"Now, to hide your wings will be difficult at first. Like your flying."_ He chuckled when Clarke elbowed him in the stomach. _"You will need to close your eyes and picture a waterfall."_ He waited until the blonde followed his instruction. _"The water is cold but the sun is out and the air is warm. There is a large, flat rock in front of the waterfall and you are standing upon it. No water reaches you from your perch. Turn so that your back is facing the waterfall and slowly move back until you can feel your wings disappearing into the water. You can feel the cold water running through your feathers but the rest of your body is warm. Keep moving backwards until all of your wings are within the waterfall. If you could see yourself, you would see that the wings have fully disappeared. The cold water is sheltering your wings. Can you picture it? Can you feel it?"_ He watched the furrow in the blondes brow as she concentrated on the image. _"That is how it will feel with your wings tucked away in the spirit realm. They will be cold, but not uncomfortably so, and sheltered. Nothing will be able to touch them. No one will be able to see them."_

  
Clarke kept her eyes closed and pictured everything that Zion told her. She imagined her wings disappearing into a cold embrace where they could be hidden and safe. After some time, she began to feel a tingle of frost climbing through her feathers. The cold seeped into the skin, muscles, and bones throughout her wings until they met her back. It wasn't unpleasant and didn't cause her to be cold. She opened her eyes and looked over her shoulder to confirm that her wings were no longer visible. She could still feel their weight but saw nothing.

  
A pleased smile spread across Zions face. _"Very good Klark. To bring them back, all you need to do is imagine them getting warm again, becoming the same temperature as your body. Once you become accustomed to that, you won't need to picture the waterfall or the heat."_

  
_"That will be useful. So should I practice more now or did you have something else in mind. I kind of want to-"_ Clarke stopped speaking when an alarm blared in the room. She looked to Zion before he rushed out of the room with Clarke on his heels.

  
They ran to the lab/control room to check the cameras and only relaxed when they saw Octavia and Lincoln. They waited to make sure that no one else came with them before leaving the room to go greet the two.

* * *

Zion and Clarke walked to the entrance of the bunker to bring Octavia and Lincoln back towards the training room. The blonde was happy to see them again. She cared deeply for the two and was concerned that Octavia's anger would cause her to stay away. It pleased her to know that she still came regardless of her personal feelings towards Clarke. The blonde had a plan to earn Octavia's respect. She was more grounder than any of the sky people and gaining respect was the only way to get into her good graces.

  
The two newcomers waited at the entrance to be welcomed. Clarke gave a warm smile to the both of them in greeting. _"Hi Linkon, O. I hope your travels went smoothly."_

  
Both Octavia and Lincoln were surprised by Clarke speaking trigedasleng and doing it so well. Lincoln recovered first and slightly bowed his head to the blonde. _"Klark. Our trip to camp and back was smooth. We ran into no problems during our travels or at the sky camp. I passed along your message to your loved ones. They were happy to hear that you are safe and look forward to seeing you soon."_

  
_"Wow. I wasn't expecting that. Also, where the hell did your gigantic wings go?"_ Octavia was still gaping at Clarke even after speaking. Her eyes continued to flick between the serene face of the blonde and the space behind her shoulders. As though they would suddenly appear again when they were mentioned.

  
The blonde laughed lightly. _"I learned the language from Wanheda and Zion has been making me speak only that to practice. He also taught me how to hide my wings so I don't attract so much attention when I'm around other people. It's weird. I can still feel them attached to my back but you can touch where they should be and I feel nothing other than a slight tingle. It's unnerving but useful. Any news from camp?"_ She turned to walk back and waved for them to follow.

  
_"Bell was worried about me since I was gone for so long but when I explained that I was with you he was fine. Happy that you weren't alone and that you are alive. Camp is a little tense. They had an election for Chancellor. Kane won which is good since he is pro grounder. Most people are upset from the broken alliance so hopefully Kane can calm them down before they do anything stupid."_ Octavia had a disgusted look on her face when speaking about the sky people. She had never felt like one of them with the exception of the 100...well 49 now. She found a new home on the ground with the people who already lived there until that was ripped away after the mountain.

  
Clarke sighed. She knew that things might get difficult after the commander broke her word but she hoped that the people of the sky would realize that they couldn't win a war with the grounders. There were only a few hundred of them against tens of thousands of grounders. She knew that it would be pointless to fight against those numbers regardless of what kind of weapons they had. She just hoped that her people weren't quite that stupid to think they stood a chance. _I did not do everything I have done, killed all the people that I have, for them to fuck this peace up._ The blonde already planned to stop by camp to visit with her friends but she decided to also watch and listen to the people there to make sure they didn't endanger the lives of themselves or the grounders.

  
The four reached the training room and walked inside. Clarke turned to Octavia. _"Hey O. Do you feel up to a spar?"_ She raised her eyebrow as she watched Octavia consider the proposal. She thought that the brunette would have jumped straight at an opportunity to use the fight to vent her rage but she seemed to hesitate. After several moments, Octavia slowly nodded her head. The two girls ignored the worried look on Lincolns face and moved into the center of the room. _"Swords?"_ Octavia answered by drawing her blade. Clarke decided to only use a single sword to even the odds.

Both girls took up their stances after drawing their blades and began circling each other waiting to take advantage of any openings or weaknesses.

Octavia lost her hesitance when the spar began. She wanted to use this chance to direct her anger at Clarke. After watching her body and grip on her weapon, the brunette moved her gaze to Clarkes face. She was disturbed by the completely emotionless stare that she received. She was so used to the blonde being passionate and driven by her emotions that she wasn't sure how to take this new look. _How much did Clarke actually change in becoming Wanheda? This doesn't look like the Clarke that I know at all._ The idea that the blonde didn't care made her relive the devastation of TonDC in her mind. The fire that spread across the ground. The smoking remains of what had been buildings and tents. The bodies that were either completely torn apart, consumed with flames, or alive but beyond repair. It fueled her anger towards the other girl and pushed her to attack. She lunged forward while swinging her sword directly at Clarkes head. The blonde bent back away from the blade and blocked it with her own sword. Octavia attempted hit after hit and the only thing that the blonde did was dodge and block. _"Fight back!"_

 _"I feel like you have a lot on her chest that you need to say. I'm giving you the opportunity to yell at me and attack me."_ Clarke wanted to get the situation over with. She had already dealt with the consequences of her actions and the guilt that still weighed heavily on her shoulders. But she would never regret it and would do it all again just to save her friends.

Octavia's face twisted in anger and she attacked fiercely. She wanted to wipe that hard look off the blondes face. _"You let all of those people die. You knew what was going to happen and you just stood aside and let it happen. What is wrong with you?! Did those innocent lives not matter to you? Do you not care that you and Heda sentenced those people to die horrible deaths?"_ Octavia spat out her fury and twirled her sword around viciously trying to hit Clarke.

The blonde kept her mask in place. She wouldn't let her emotions control her. _Not again_. She continued to block every attack sent her way. _"You should know that I care. Despite everything you know me. I didn't want to leave those people to die but what should I have done? Warn the people of TonDC of the missile and get your brother and those in Mount Weather killed? It was a necessary sacrifice. It saved our people and removed the threat of the mountain from this world forever. No one will have to worry about their loved ones being drained of their blood or turned into monsters."_ Clarke watched Octavia. She wore her anger on her face still. _"What would you have done? Save TonDC and sacrifice your brother and all of our friends in Mount Weather?"_

With a fierce yell, Octavia charged at Clarke in a flurry of blows. The blonde decided that she would finally fight back. She said her piece and it was up to the other girl to accept it or continue to hold her decisions against her. She blocked another wild swing at her head before twisting around and elbowing Octavia in the ribs. She swung her sword to her opponents open back while she was still leaning over to hold her bruised side. Octavia saw the strike coming just in time to turn and block the blade. They continued their fight moving across and around the room. Clarke saw that the other girl was losing the anger in her face while her body was slowing down from exhaustion due to the drawn out spar. The blonde wasn't even slightly winded and continued to let Octavia wear herself out. A wide swing came at Clarkes left side. The blonde surged forward into the other girls guard and rammed her left elbow into Octavia's sword arm. The hit was hard enough that Octavia lost her sword. She then reached over to grab Octavia's left arm while twisting around her body. She used the momentum and grip on her arm to flip Octavia through the air so that she landed sharply on her back before she rested her blade lightly against the brunettes throat.

Octavia accepted the blondes hand to stand but leaned over to place her hands on her knees. Breathing heavily, Octavia looked to Clarke and sighed, _"Look. I get it. You made the best choice out of all of the shitty choices that you had. I may not like it but what you did saved more lives than were lost. Maybe it was just easier to hate you for it since you were the one calling the shots and deep down...I would have saved my brother first. Hundreds of lives just to save his and that makes me feel like shit."_

Clarke sighed. _"Trust me, I know. I used to think about it all of the time. The choices that I made to kill hundreds for so few of ours. I wondered if we were even worth it. But now I don't dwell on it. The decisions were made, I've lived with them, and now I'm moving past it. I think it's the only way to stay sane. Honestly if Zion hadn't found me, I very well may have lost my mind from the guilt. Now I just want to use what I've been given to help people."_

 _"Which people?"_ Octavia was curious.

At that the blonde smiled. _"All of them. I don't care where they were born or what people they belong to. All of us are on the ground now. I don't want to watch innocents suffer for the actions of others. It's happened too much and if I can do anything at all to help them then I will."_

Octavia was happy with that answer. She could tell that the blonde had changed and she acted more like a grounder now than someone from the sky. She watched Clarke turn to the men who were watching from the doorway. Clarke called over to them, _"Boys, can you please get over here? I want to test myself more before we go outside so I need you both to fight me together."_

Lincoln was unsure. He could tell from the spar with Octavia that the blonde was very good now. Honestly, he noticed that Clarke could have ended the fight as soon as she decided to fight back. However, he was more experienced and he wasn't sure that the blonde would be able to keep up with him and Zion at the same time, maybe not even separately. He looked to the other man for help to stop the spar before it even had the chance to begin but saw only pride in the mans eyes. Lincoln sighed and resigned himself to the fight even while worrying that his friend would end up hurt. He moved into the open area with Zion and pulled his sword.

Falling into her fighting stance, Clarke pulled her second sword. She twirled them in her hands to loosen both wrists and watched the two men get ready. The blonde wanted to smirk at the look in Lincolns eyes but she didn't show any amusement on her face. She could tell that he was worried for her. Zion came at her first since he knew that he couldn't wait her out to make a move, her patience now was better than anyone he had met. She expertly blocked and attacked the man in a blur of movements. They traded blows so fast that the other two in the room almost couldn't keep up with them.

With wide eyes, Lincoln watched the beauty of the deadly dance happening before him. He realized that his assumption was correct. Clarke could have ended the fight with Octavia before it even began. Blinking away his shock he decided to move in to Clarkes unguarded back to attack. She quickly turned and used the sword not locked with Zion to block his advance. He was added into the dance; trading blows, blocking strikes, and moving with Zion as a team to attempt to overwhelm the blonde. The men couldn't get a hit in. The blonde gracefully twirled around their bodies and bent around their blades while easily striking them with knees and elbows and the flat of her blades. Lincoln was defeated after an impressive feat of the blonde diving around Zions blade and popping up beside him. She kicked out hitting his sword hand moving the blade away from herself and lifted one blade to his throat. It happened so quickly that he didn't get a chance to move away. He lowered his head in defeat and moved back to Octavia's side to watch the rest of the spar.

The two remaining opponents flew around each other with blades slicing through the air. Clarke lost one of her swords during the flurry of blows and let loose a low growl. Having only the sword in her left hand remaining, she used her open right hand to slam her palm into Zions chest while he was holding off her sword that was aimed at his hip with both of his hands. The blow robbed him of his breath and Clarke took advantage of that split second that he was stunned. She pushed out with her left blade that was still locked with Zions and punched him in the face with her right while hooking her foot around his ankle. Zion lost his balance and was disarmed but did not fall. Clarke tossed her blade aside and attacked with only her body. Punches were thrown and blocked. Elbows, knees and feet were connecting and being diverted. The spar ended suddenly with Zion in a choke hold on the ground. Clarke released him once he tapped her arms. The man heaved as he stood up.

 _"Thank you Lincoln. That was a fantastic spar."_ Clarke turned to Zion. _"You have got to learn to keep up old man. You barely got any hits in."_

Zion looked at the blonde incredulously before bellowing in laughter. He reached over and ruffled her hair. _"Sure. And you could have taken me down much sooner than that. Didn't you know it's rude to play with your food?"_ He laughed again at the disgusted look that came over her face.

Clarke shook her head and attempted to glare at him. _"That was not funny and you know it."_ She couldn't help but laugh though. The blonde turned back to Octavia and Lincoln. They were both staring at her wide eyed and Octavia had her mouth hanging open. _Really, again? This is going to get old fast._

 _"Thank you Klark. You fought well."_ Lincoln was the first to recover from the shock as per usual. The blonde figured his upbringing of hiding his emotions made him seem more calm despite the inner workings of his mind and no doubt the tales of Wanheda and the seemingly impossible victories of Heda prepared him for her new self somewhat.

Octavia still stared at Clarke with her jaw unhinged. She only snapped out of it when Lincoln cleared his throat loudly next to her. _"Holy shit Klark! You could have taken me down with no problem at all before I even lifted my sword! You really have gone super grounder princess on us."_ The brunette blinked owlishly. _"When you were sparring with Zion, you two were moving so fucking fast I could barely keep up with what you guys were doing!"_ She paused before a thoughtful look crossed her face. _"We definitely need to spar more. I need more training so I can have a hope to keep up with you."_

The blonde smiled wide. She knew that she was highly trained but it felt good being able to take on the two men together. Clarke was sure that Octavia would push herself even more now after watching her. The thought of Octavia forgiving her for the past and for being inspired to work harder made her feel like she was bursting with happiness. _"Okay guys. I know you two were just outside but how do you feel about getting some fresh air? I need to go out...I've been in here for too long."_ She turned to look at Zion with big pleading eyes. _"Please can we get out of here?"_

 _"Yes we can but let's hunt. We will practice your tracking and stealth skills."_ Zion paused. _"Also, you can try flying when you have trees all around you. Try not to fall on our heads though please."_

Clarke grumbled, embarrassed. _"Fine. But that was one time!"_

A laugh erupted from Octavia. _"Oh I have to hear that story!"_

 _"Nope. Not gonna happen!"_ Clarke grabbed her all of her discarded weapons in the room and ran out while dragging Zion with her. She could hear the other two following and unsuccessfully hiding their chuckles.

Zion stopped Clarke and brought her to the room containing the clothing. He pointedly looked down at the blondes body. Clarke realized how underdressed she was in only a breast wrap and boyshorts; she blushed before following him in. Zion grabbed a pair of soft black pants, a loose black tank top that tied together in the back, and a special jacket. The blonde easily put on the shirt and pants but paused on the jacket. There were several buckles and pieces to it. She pleadingly looked at Zion.

He held the jacket up, separated and unbuckled the pieces before explaining. The main part of the jacket was completely open in the upper back with no collar and buckles along the mid and lower back. _"First you need to put this on. It allows you to get the sleeves and body on without hitting your wings. The buckles will connect the two parts together."_ Once that section was on he held up another piece. _"This is the collar, back, and hood of the coat. It buckles here along your shoulders. This long back piece will hang down loose and buckle on your lower back. The loose piece will allow for your wings to be out and visible but will still keep you warm and covered when they are not."_ He attached all of the appropriate pieces and pointed out spaces for her to hide her assassin blades.

Clarke thanked him before attaching all of her weapons to her body. She thought of her wings warming up to test how well the jacket really worked. Her wings appeared; she extended and gently flapped them. She could feel the fabric of the coat move seamlessly to allow space for the added appendages once they were brought forth. Satisfied that the coat did its job without hampering her ability to use her wings, she imagined the cold waterfall again to hide them away. Once they were suited up, the four headed out of the bunker.

* * *

The sun shone brightly upon Clarke as she went outside. She could feel its warmth on her skin even through the cold bite from the wind. Winter was slowly closing in. Turning her face up to the sun, the blonde took a deep breath of the fresh air. She missed it and realized that metal had long since stopped being her home. The dirt under her feet, the trees towering over her, and the river she could hear close by were home now. _After being stuck in a metal box their whole lives, how can my people see all of this and choose to live in that damn cursed death trap?_ She shook herself out of that thought and watched Octavia look around the same way that she did. _We are grounders now._ That made her smile. She began to walk further to really take in her surroundings.

 _"Klark, keep an eye out for tracks while we walk,"_ Zion reminded her. He watched the blonde nod to his instructions and admired her happy face. Staying within the bunker was difficult once one lived out on the ground. He knew this well even though he had spent much time within the bunker throughout the years. A smile played on his face the longer he watched the blonde. Even though Clarke had spent months in similar woods, that time it was completely new. With her enhanced vision, hearing, and sense of smell, she would experience so much more than she ever had. He noticed that she wasn't overwhelmed as she had already had time to become accustomed to her new abilities. There was still so much that he knew Clarke would have to learn but it was only something that she could learn through experience. There would be many situations that words alone wouldn't help prepare the blonde at all.

Clarke glided through the woods, footsteps silent upon the ground that was littered with rocks and twigs. While she was admiring the amazing view, she was also following her ears and her nose to the river that was further in the woods. It still amazed her to be able to see so much water when her people had access to so little before. Like everything on the Ark, water was strictly rationed and there had been no point of reference to know how much water could be contained at one place. _I wonder what it would be like to see the ocean. Water as far as the eye can see._ She sighed wistfully and took in the crisp, clean smell of the water drifting through the air. She could hear the water rushing down the river and lapping at the banks. After walking for some time with the others following her, she saw a break in the trees. She walked out into the open area where she found the river. The blonde stopped in awe. There was a wide river winding through the openings in the trees. She could see birds flitting around the trees on the far bank and saw fish swimming through the clear water. Their scales shining in the light. Her fingers itched, a feeling that she hadn't experienced in months. She wanted to sit and capture the beauty before her on paper. Once she had time to at least burn the image in her mind, she looked to the bank to search for tracks. She knew that she could easily find game by smell and hearing alone but Zion wanted her to use her tracking skills. She located some relatively fresh deer tracks and began to follow them silently. The others allowed her to lead and followed quietly. She soon found a herd of deer, shielded herself behind a tree, and pulled out her bow. She notched a single arrow and aimed at the largest buck, a stag. _Deep breath in, hold, slowly breathe out and release._ The blonde reminded herself to keep her lessons in mind and after a slow exhale she released the arrow. It hit the stag in the eye and he immediately dropped while the rest of the herd scattered. Clarke walked up to the stag and knelt to remove the arrow. She placed a hand gently upon the animal and murmured, "Yu gonplei ste odon." Her heart slightly ached at the lost life but knew that it wouldn't be wasted.

Zion walked up to Clarke and grasped her shoulder. _"That was very good. You were completely silent and easily tracked the deer. Let's clean the animal and take it back."_

 _"I will do it. Could we stay out here for a little longer? We can cook up some meat and rest by the fire."_ Clarke didn't want to go underground again just yet. Once Zion nodded his agreement, the blonde began cleaning the stag while the others gathered wood for a fire. Everything completed, the four sat around the modest flames while they waited for the meat to cook. _"I think I want to go to camp soon. There are a few people I want to see and check in with."_ She looked uncertainly towards Octavia.

The brunette understood how uneasy Clarke was. She knew what it felt like to care for their people but not feel apart of them at the same time. Especially for Clarke since she had done so much for them but rarely got any thanks. Even her own mother didn't really support her, instead she continued to act like the blonde was still a child and shouldn't be making any kind of decisions for their people. _"That sounds like a plan. It's several days walk from here so we might want to get some horses instead. I know you need to see our people. And by our people I mean the rest of the 100 of course."_ Octavia smirked at the blonde and was happy to see her friends face relax in a small laugh.

 _"I can go trade for some horses. There is a place nearby where it's possible but it will take a day or two to get back here. I will go tomorrow,"_ Zion offered. He too knew that the blonde needed to face her people and visit with those that she loves. He was nervous about it though. He wasn't sure how the sky people would react to Clarke returning as a very different person or how they would react to him considering their past history with the grounders. _"I think it will be best to hide your wings from them and only tell those that you trust absolutely about your journey and becoming Wanheda. I will just be the friend that you made while you were away."_

Clarke nodded. She was pleased to have a plan now that she knew she was prepared to face the world as Wanheda. Seeing her people may be painful but she hoped that meeting her friends and mother again would help ease that ache. The four continued talking on lighter subjects while they ate their meal. Clarke decided to try some flying while outside after she finished eating. She released her wings and launched in the air. It was difficult with all of the trees around her but she learned to land on the branches or use them to sharply swing her body in a different direction. The blonde enjoyed going high above the trees. The view was astounding, there was green as far as she could see. Once she was satisfied that she could fly outside, the fire was put out and Clarke hoisted the deer on her shoulder and they headed back to the bunker.

Over the next two days, Clarke continued to spar with Octavia and Lincoln both separate and together. The time allowed Clarke and Octavia to bond again and repair the many broken pieces of their friendship. Lincoln grew to admire Clarke even more. He saw how different yet the same that she was. She still cared deeply but she could easily hide those emotions away. The blonde also reveled in silence, it was easier now for her to understand people by their actions and that those silences could be much more honest than any spoken words. She could read Octavia and Lincoln so well that words were almost not needed.

The alarms sounded the morning of the third day and Clarke saw Zion entering the bunker. He had traded for four fast horses so that they could travel to the sky camp quickly. Clarke and Zion gathered clothes, food, medical supplies, and all of their weapons. They packed everything in packs and added to the saddlebags before the four headed to Camp Jaha.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunions at Camp Jaha.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I had a very difficult time writing about the skaikru...knowing that, please bare with me on it. I'm a grounder fangirl all the way...just like Kane. This section ended up being a lot longer than I expected so it will be split into 2 parts. You will see grounder interaction 2 chapters from now instead of the next chapter. 
> 
> Also, if you have any comments, concerns, or recommendations...please comment. I can't grow as a writer without it. Speaking of, does anyone have any requests on the Clarke/Abby relationship. I tend to dislike her personally but it seems to be a prominent theme in fics I've read that she is a terrible person. I don't know what to do with that relationship so if you have any ideas please let me know. 
> 
> I'm starting a new job as well so please be patient with me on updates. I don't have a set schedule on when I can post chapters.

Clarke felt herself gently swaying in the saddle of her horse. The trip to camp had been smooth and they were almost at their destination. The blonde could feel the ball of nerves building in her stomach but she stubbornly pushed it away. She knew that seeing her people still was a source of anxiety for her but now she has her three friends with her. They knew everything about what she had done and how she had changed but they still supported her. That was enough to calm her down. _No matter what happens I still have them._

  
_"We're almost there,"_ Octavia called out. She continued to subtly look at Clarke from the corner of her eyes. She could see that the blondes face was set in her emotionless mask but she could see her hands clenching and unclenching at the reins betraying her nerves. The brunette knew that she would protect Clarke no matter what. Even if it was from their own people. They came to a mutual understanding of each other. In only a few days together, she learned who Clarke was as a person and not just a leader. She comforted the blonde when she woke gasping from nightmares of her ghosts. The brunette knew that she suffered from her past actions still but the difference now is that she has the support of the three of them. Zion gently guides her. Octavia comforts her and snaps her out of dark thoughts with her blunt honesty. Lincoln shows nothing but respect and reverence to the blonde, always thankful for Clarkes friendship. The brunette found that she respected Clarke even more now than ever before.

  
Clarke already knew they were very close to camp. She could hear the sounds of people talking and working. The blonde let the emotion drain from her face so that none of her people would know what she was feeling. She didn't want them to see her being nervous or to see the guilt and pain that may flash across her face once she is confronted with her people. Even with her mask, she could feel her body tensing as soon as she saw the gates to camp. _Breathe and calm down._

  
Once spotted, the guards at the gate called out to the camp. "Grounders!"

  
Octavia sighed heavily before moving faster to the gate. "It's Octavia!" She was hoping they recognized her and didn't shoot. They was a flurry of activity behind the gates before Octavia heard her brother shouting to open the gates. Watching them slowly opening and making sure the guards weren't pointing their guns at them, she waved her three friends forward.

  
Bellamy ran out of the gates and up to Octavia. "You're back! I was worried."

  
"I told you that I was with Clarke and that I would be back." Octavia rolled her eyes but pointed back to Clarke.

  
The blonde dismounted and slowly moved forward. She was worried about how Bellamy would react to seeing her again when she practically abandoned him after the mountain. She watched Bellamy turn towards her. His mouth opened and his eyes grew wide before he started walking to her. He gasped and grabbed her to pull her into a hug. "Hi Bell." Her voice was muffled in his neck.

  
"Clarke. You're back!" He pulled back to look at her but kept hold of her shoulders like she would disappear if he didn't. He looked her over and saw how different she appeared. She was dressed in grounder clothing and had her hair braided back with beads and feathers twisted in. He also felt the hardness to her body when he hugged her. _Where in the hell did she get muscles from? It's only been a few weeks.._ He looked at her confused.

  
"I promise I will explain everything to you later." Clarke pointedly looked at the crowd of people around them. She watched him nod before he hugged her again and let go.

  
Suddenly she heard a yell. "CLARKE ABIGAIL GRIFFIN! Where the hell have you been?!" She recognized the voice and got tears in her eyes before turning to her mother. Her mom roughly grabbed her and held her tight to her body. She could feel the sobs racking her mothers body and held her close.

  
"I'm sorry mom. I'm sorry I left without telling you but I needed time to come to terms with everything." Clarke felt terrible for making her mother feel this way. Their relationship hasn't been great and she loathed the way that her mother treated her but it was still her mother.

  
Abby pulled back and sternly looked at Clarke. "I know why you felt like you had to leave but you're back now. And we will be talking about it."

  
The blonde felt irritation grow in her belly but she tried to push it away. _Why does she still treat me like a misbehaving child?!_ Instead of given into her annoyance, she smiled gently at her mother and agreed to speak to her. "Later mom. I promise."

  
After her mother pulled away, Clarke was swarmed by her friends. She saw Monty, Harper, and Miller. She traded hugs and greetings. She introduced Zion to them all and explained that he was a dear friend who helped keep her alive while she was away. She was a little uneasy by the suspicious glances sent his way. She knew that he could take care of himself but she would keep an eye out for him. There was no way in hell she would let anything happen to him. At the back of the crowd she saw a brunette in a red jacket. The metal around her leg reflected the sunlight. Raven!! She ran up to the mechanic and pulled her into a fierce hug.

  
"Dammit princess! I can't breathe, ease up!" Raven grumbled.

  
Clarke laughed but let the other girl go. She pulled back and smiled wide at her friend. "I missed you Rae."

  
Raven smirked. "Well of course you did. I'm amazingly awesome. But if you missed me so damn much you should have visited sooner."

  
That sobered the blonde up. She knew that leaving would hurt Raven the most. Despite their rocky beginning, the two of them had grown as close as sisters. They were family to each other and Clarke left without a word. She promised that she would pick the other girl first every time but she didn't keep that promise regardless of whether she made the decision to leave for her own sanity. She had a lot to make up for to the other girl. "I'm sorry I left you Raven. It was a shitty thing to do, leaving without telling you."

  
The mechanic smiled. "I know why you left princess so I can't fault you for that. But if you ever think about disappearing without telling me first, I will not hesitate to blow your ass up." She smirked. "Fair warning." She was hurt that she was left behind but the bond that she had with Clarke was special. She knew that the blonde would always be there for her no matter what. With Finn gone, Clarke was the only family that she had left and she would hold on to that with everything that she had. "Come on. We are going to my workshop where you will tell me all about your grand adventure in the wild and how you picked up that huge bald man that is following you."

  
"Shit. Sorry!" Clarke turned to Zion and waved him over. "Rae, this is Zion. He is a dear friend and was keeping me alive and sane the past few weeks."

  
Zion smiled at the brunette and was amused that all of Clarkes loved ones were so tiny like her. "Reivon. I have heard much about you from Klark. It's very nice to finally meet you."

  
The brunette glanced at Clarke. "Whatever she told you is a lie. Unless it was about how brilliant, gorgeous, and amazing I am." She smirked at Clarkes groan and Zions chuckle. "Come on you two. It looks like O is taking care of your horses and she knows where we will be."

  
Clarke paused to call Bellamy over. "Hey Bell. Can you come with us? I'm going to be explaining my time away to Raven and it will be easier if I can just tell you both at the same time." Bellamy nodded and followed. The blonde was getting more nervous. She was about to expose her new self to her friends and she wasn't sure how they were going to take it. The fact that both Bellamy and Raven accepted Zion made her feel slightly better. They reached Ravens area and the girl kicked out Wick so they could talk. Raven, Bellamy, Zion, and Clarke crowded into the space. Thankfully there was enough room so that Clarke could pace and pace she did.

  
Bellamy and Raven watched the blonde pace around the room. Raven interrupted her, "Okay Clarke. It's just us. You know that you can tell us anything."

  
"Yes I know. But it's a lot and it's going to be difficult for you to believe." Clarke looked uncertainly to Zion. He gave her a reassuring smile and nodded for her to continue. "Right so I'll tell you what happened and I have something that you need to see as well. It might be best if you sit though. Also, I need to make sure that this stays in this room. You know I trust you both with my life but I just need to make sure."

  
"Wonderful. This is a classic Griffin disaster isn't it?" Raven sighed as she plopped into a chair and rubbed her sore thigh. Both she and Bellamy nodded to keep this between them.

  
The blonde took a deep breath and started the story. She explained how Zion found her and made her an offer. Explaining the spirits took a little longer as the sky people relied more on facts and science rather than spirituality. They viewed those types of things as myths much like Clarke used to. Next, the blonde explained the bunker and the scientists who used to live there. She told them about the experiments and Wanhedas story. The explanation of the ceremony was dubiously received however. "Trust me guys. I know how crazy it all sounds but believe me when I say that it's all real. I was in that dream for less than two weeks but it felt like months to me. I learned how to use any weapon, fight, track, and hunt. I didn't have any of those skills before and now I'm a master at them." The blonde grew uncertain and paused.

  
Raven picked up on the blondes hesitation. "There's more isn't there?"

  
Clarke nodded. "My body changed as well. All of my senses are heightened. I have tons of muscles that I never had before. And..." She was terrified of showing them the additions to her body. The blonde looked to Zion again and he offered his silent support by helping her remove her weapons and jacket. She turned back to her two friends and saw the question on their faces as she was stripping down to her breast wrap. "It will be easier to show you."

  
Once her layers and weapons were gone, Bellamy and Raven gaped at their friend. They could see the larger defined muscles. She still was feminine but her body was honed into a weapon itself. They saw the large mark that ran from her neck, down her arm, and above her breast. It looked like a brand but was completely healed. Raven was the one to finally speak. "What the hell happened?!"

  
"Anyone bound to Wanheda gets marked with designs and symbols. This shows that I am Wanheda." Clarke paused again.

  
Raven huffed. "Just spit it out already princess."

  
Sighing, Clarke smiled wide and opened her mouth slightly to show her fangs. She then closed her eyes and imaged her wings warming up and coming out of the spirit realm. The blonde extended her wings and they filled the entire workshop. Opening her eyes, she finally looked at her friends to see what their reaction would be. The two of them sat completely still with their eyes wide as saucers. The silence stretched on and was only broken when Clarke shuffled her feet.

  
"...Holy."

  
"...Shit."

  
It seemed that one word each was the most they could get out. Clarke sighed when the complete quiet continued for several for minutes. She knew that this was going to be difficult but had higher hopes after Octavia's relatively easy acceptance. It was just another example of how different the grounders were from the sky people. On the Ark, they had religions, stories, and myths but the real world was based on facts and figures. The blonde figured that after the bombs dropped the people of the ground became a more pure and simple people, they were more open to spirituality and accepting that there were things of the world that were simply mysterious and unexplainable. Clarke admired that viewpoint greatly. To her, it seemed that the survivors became more in tune with the earth and the vastness of the cosmos. She always thought that her people were prideful in thinking that they knew everything there was to know. There was simply too much in the universe that was unknown and it was ridiculous to believe that they knew the absolute complete answer to everything. Clarke snapped out of her musings by Zion clearing his throat. "Right. So...questions?"

  
Both still stared at the blonde. Raven slightly shook her head and closed her eyes. "So let me get this straight. You were being followed by the spirit of the commander of death who, when she was alive, was a science experiment to survive the massive amounts of radiation after the bombs dropped. You followed a random person who happens to be a 'soul healer' underground to do a ceremony which consisted of you drinking nanotechnology that branded you, gave you wings from a predatory bird, and fangs from a panther. And you went through super grounder training with that spirit. Did I cover everything?"

  
Clarke nodded. "Yeah that's most of it. I'm still learning new things as I go and Zion is helping me. O and Lincoln have been around too." She looked to Bellamy nervously as he still hadn't said a word.

  
"Sorry Clarke but I think I'm going to need some time to wrap my head around this. It's a lot." Bellamy looked calm if not a little freaked out about everything. "Don't think I'm not here for you though. No matter what, I will always have your back. Just give me some time yeah?"

  
It was about as much as could be expected. The blonde was slightly disappointed but she knew that Bellamy would be on her side. "It's a lot to take In Bell. Take as much time as you need. If you have any questions or anything you can always talk to me. Lincoln and O too."

  
Bellamy smiled. "Yeah. I'm going to catch up with O." He got up and turned to leave before turning back. "I was thinking that we could get everyone together tonight. We've all missed you and I know everyone will wait to hang out." After Clarke agreed to meet up later, he left to find his sister.

  
Questions were swirling in the depths of Ravens eyes. Clarke knew that she wouldn't be able to avoid the brunettes curious and calculating mind. She turned to Zion. _"Would you mind giving us some time? She is going to want to talk about this for a while. Maybe you can check in with O and Linkon?"_

  
_"Of course. I remember the stories you told me about this little bird. I'm sure she will want to analyze everything and probably poke and prod your wings."_ Zion laughed at the worried look that passed over Clarkes face. "I'll leave you two to talk. I'll see you again little bird."

  
Raven watched the man go. "Did he just call me 'little bird'?" Her head snapped back to look at Clarke. "And did I just hear you speak in perfect trigedasleng?"

  
The blonde chuckled. She remembered the many tales of Raven that she told Zion. Even without meeting her, he was starting to like her just from what Clarke shared with him. "He sure did. I told him a lot about you. He was always amused by my stories and, besides your name, he thought that you had the curiosity and tenacity of a bird." She smiled fondly at that. "Wanheda taught me a lot. Did you think that language wouldn't have been included?"

  
"Okay. I will accept that name then. It's not as badass as Wanheda but at least it's something to show off my awesomeness." Raven smirked. She was always good at using her snark to disguise her inner turmoil. Thinking about all of the information and future consequences of what Clarke was now had her brain flying around from thought to thought. "I suppose I should have assumed that you would have learn the language too. But give a girl a break...it's something all together different to actually hear it spill from your mouth. So moving on. I have questions and I think I need to feel your extra parts to believe that what I am seeing is in fact real."

  
They spent the next few hours going through everything. Clarke told her detailed accounts of her time spent with Wanheda and all of her training. The concept of flying was hard for Raven to believe as it shouldn't be possible with the weight of the blondes body. Raven tentatively accepted to hold off on that topic until the blonde could give her a demonstration. She explained the need for blood and that she could share her own. That started a complex discussion about the scientists who began it all and going into the advanced nanotechnology. Most of that went over Clarkes head but she tried to explain as much as possible to Rave. That the blonde wanted to dedicate her time now to protect any innocent that she could to atone for her past wasn't a surprise to Raven. The mechanic was grateful for Clarke saving them and destroying the mountain. She was in their grasp and had to suffer being strapped to a blood splattered table while the mountains insane doctor drilled through her skin, muscle, and bone to reach her marrow. She knew that those people were the real savages and had no qualms about taking others lives just to give themselves freedom. Death was the only way to stop them as they had no desire to stop their barbaric practices. But Raven didn't see the end result like Clarke did. She didn't pull the lever and watch every single person in the mountain burn alive just from the air. Even though she knew the blonde made the right choice, she understood the pain that Clarke suffered from her actions. Her respect for her best friend grew. Taking the pain from her choices and turning that into a weapon and motivation to do more...it was something beautiful to behold. The blonde didn't allow the pain to drag her down anymore, instead she used it to lift herself up and give her new purpose.

  
Once satisfied that most of her questions were answered for now, Raven stood to examine the blondes body. She ran her hand along the marking of Wanheda while Clarke explained the meaning behind the design and symbols. The scarring of the mark was smooth but raised slightly. Next, the brunette had Clarke open her mouth so she could feel the fangs. She pushed on one with the tip of her finger and yelped. "Shit those are sharp!" She watched the blonde roll her eyes. Walking behind Clarke, Raven reached out slowly to feel the huge dark wings that took up so much space in her workshop. The black feathers were silky to the touch as she ran her hand down the wings. "Can you stretch them out?" Once the wings were extended, she moved her hand to the top of each wing. Her hands explored the muscles and bones beneath the feathers. Raven startled as her hand caressed the bend at the top of the wings. She thought she heard an unusual sound but once she stopped it went away. Cautiously she repeated the motion and heard a purr that grew louder the more she stroked that area. She stopped and moved to spin the blonde around to face her forgetting about the wings. Raven grunted when she got hit in the face with one of the blondes wings. "What the actual fuck Griffin!"

  
Clarke faced Raven with pink cheeks and a sheepish smile. "Sorry sorry. You know the animals bits in my DNA? I kinda sometimes purr when I'm happy or content. Or growl when I'm angry."

  
Raven stared at the blonde for a moment before she was bent over in howling laughter. After finally catching her breath she looked at the blonde. "That is unbelievable. You're like a vicious little kitty cat." She laughed again when the blonde furrowed her brow. "I take it back. You are a grumpy cat. That face right there...grumpy cat." She stared wide eyed when she heard a low growl rumbling from the blonde and saw the emotionless look on her face. "Right...I totally meant badass, terrifying, and vicious cat."

  
Waiting a moment longer to watch Raven squirm, the blonde relaxed her face and smirked. She laughed while dodging a punch aimed at her arm once the other girl realized she was messing around. "Not cool Griffin."

  
"Hey Rae?" Clarke sobered up from her amusement and looked seriously to her friend. "I want to do something for you. You have lost and suffered so much since we were sent to the ground. Even through all of the shit, I'm so happy that you came down too. Without you, we would have been dead several times over. More importantly, I would have never found a sister in you. You have lost and suffered so much since we were sent here and I want to give you something back. I can't give you Finn but I can give you your leg back. It's completely up to you, but I can give you some of my blood and it will heal you." She stopped there to give the girl time to think. She figured that Raven wouldn't want to accept help since that it just how she is but this is a chance to walk without pain and without her brace. Not being able to do as much as before weighed heavily on the brunette and Clarke wanted nothing more than for the ground to give her something for once.

  
The mechanic walked back over to her chair and plopped down. She wasn't sure what to think. The opportunity was almost too good to be true. She would be able to run and walk and climb without pain. She was so used to everything that could go wrong actually happening. What if this is just another time everything goes to shit on me? She thought about it more and remembered all the information Clarke gave her on the blood. There was no indication that it would be harmful. She decided to keep that detail in the forefront of her mind. _What's the worst that could happen besides it not actually working?_ Raven took a deep breath and chose to take the plunge. "Yeah. Okay, let's do it."

  
Clarke smiled. She was so happy that she could give this to Raven. The mechanic deserved so much more than the ground had given her. She walked over to the other girl and sat next to her. Pulling her wrist up to her mouth, she bit down deep with her fangs and guided the welling blood to Ravens mouth. The brunette looked nervous. "It's okay. Just drink. Maybe close your eyes if you want...it's a little unnerving to drink blood for the first time. Trust me I know." She smiled at the other girl as she grabbed Clarkes wrist and closed her eyes while she lowered her mouth to the blondes wrist. After drinking for a few moments, Clarke gently pulled her wrist away. Her puncture wounds healed immediately and she paused in shock. It was the first time she saw her own body heal like that. A chuckle pulled her gaze back to Raven.

  
"Well. I'm not really sure what the hell I was expecting but that tasted like blood." Raven smirked at the blondes laugh. She stared at her friend as her head was thrown back in her amusement. She was so happy to see her look so carefree even if for only a moment. Warmth invaded her chest as she admired the other girl. Her brow furrowed. She knew that she loved the blonde, she was practically her sister, but she felt it grow. "Umm...is this supposed to happen? I feel all sappy and shit. Like you are the very best friend that I could have ever hoped for and I am so fucking happy that you are my family. Don't get me wrong, I already feel that way but it feels amplified or something."

  
A blush colored Clarkes cheeks. "I guess? I felt something similar when I drank from Zion but that was only one time so I don't know for sure." She smiled at the brunette. "Come here you big sap!" She reached out to hug Raven ignoring her half-hearted attempt to dodge out of the way. Both girls sat in a warm and comfortable silence. Just taking in the comfort of family who will always be there for love, comfort, and support. They lost track of time in their embrace but a commotion outside caught their attention. Clarke frowned and got up to investigate. She held out a hand for her friend to join but she declined claiming she was going to give the blood some time. Clarke thought that she wanted to wait until she was alone to test whether her back and leg were actually healing. The mechanic was one to deal with her emotions by herself so she smiled and left after hiding her wings again.

  
Outside, Clarke was hit with a wall of anger with hints of fear. She dimly recalled Wanheda briefly explaining that with her body changed she would be able to smell emotions from humans and animals. She had only been around a small number of people so far and with everything else taking up her attention she hadn't noticed it before. With no other idea about what was going on, she followed her nose a short distance away. She found a handful of her people confronting Zion. She paused to try to figure out what was going on. She saw a few guards standing back watching without even attempting to calm the situation down. She heard her people yelling at Zion and claiming that he wasn't welcome. Apparently, the sky people took the betrayal at the mountain personally. They didn't seem to want any grounder at their camp with the exception of Lincoln and were under the impression that raised voices would convince Zion to leave. The blonde wasn't sure if she should feel amused as the over 100 year old man wouldn't be intimidated by the soft people from the sky or be upset that they are putting the commanders choice on every grounder. One of the larger men in the small mob began to walk towards Zion aggressively.

  
The blonde sighed and began walking quickly up to the increasingly angry crowd. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Lincoln and Octavia hurrying over as well. Clarke knew she had to stop this from getting worse. _Idiots!! They would be the ones to get hurt here...what the hell are they thinking?!_ She reached Zion and placed herself between him and the approaching man. "Is there a problem here?"

  
Sneering at the blonde, the man puffed out his chest to make himself look more intimidating. "We don't want his kind around here. The grounders left us for dead and this savage isn't welcome in our camp."

  
"First of all, this man is not a savage and he is here as my guest. Second, you cannot blame every single person on the ground for the decision made by their leader." Clarke wanted to roll her eyes at the man when he kept the disgusted look on his face. "Tell me, if I had been given the deal to save our people from the mountain if only we abandoned the grounders...would you have wanted me to take it?" She stared hard at him daring him to say no. Clarke felt a burning, dark anger build in her chest. She had already accepted that Lexa made the correct choice as a leader to her people. Her issues were only on a personal level.

  
The man crossed his arms and found he couldn't keep looking into the burning stare that the blonde was directing towards him. He could hear his companions shuffling around uncomfortable with the turn of the conversation. Despite his own uneasy thoughts on that, he said, "It doesn't matter now. The grounders turned their backs on us. They went back on their word and cannot be trusted. This man needs to leave."

  
Clarke felt a growl building in her throat at the utter stupidity this man was still showing but she pushed it down. "I understand that you are all angry. Remember I was there when it happened and I saved our people in the mountain. Also, you can't say that the grounders are savages when you haven't even spoken to them. They are not all warriors. That was a time of war and we are now at peace. If they truly are savages then why haven't they attacked us? We are on their land but we have been safe and left alone." She paused to gauge how these stubborn people were taking her speech. _They have to see reason. We are on the ground now and we need to build a life here. These people are sounding more like the mountain men than they should._ Most looked away in shame when she glanced at them. "Now, you will leave Zion alone. He is here with me and he is welcome." She felt her anger reach higher as the man in front of her tried to push her out of the way to get to Zion. She punched him in the throat and grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back. "Is it clear now? You will not touch him." The rest of the people scattered. She threw the idiot she had pinned down to the dirt. "Walk away while you still can." She stared hard at the man as he left.

  
There was so much anger and rage swirling in the blondes eyes that Octavia and Lincoln were hesitant to approach her. Zion grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face him breaking her near murderous glare. "All is well Klark. I am fine." He smiled at her in reassurance. _"Not that I don't appreciate your help but I could have handled it on my own."_

  
_"I know that. I just didn't want some idiot with a gun to get involved and hurt you."_ Clarke looked up at Zion with wide eyes.  _"I couldn't handle it if something happened to you."_ She fell into his open arms. Hugging him tight, the blonde took a moment to calm down and relax in the knowledge that Zion was safe. She snuggled closer to listen to the steady beat of his heart.

  
Octavia decided that it was safe and ran up to the pair. _"Holy shit Klark! You were extremely scary there. Badass but terrifying It looked like you could have burnt him alive from that look you gave him."_ She shook her head. That was something that she would have to get used to. The Clarke from before was determined and always had a fire in her eyes but this Clarke looked like she was a second away from starting a raging inferno just by glancing at someone. _"And...I'm not sure what happened but when you got seriously pissed it looked like you had shadows moving around behind you. Normally I would think it was a trick of the light but you are out in the open and it's bright as hell out. So what the fuck was that?"_ She watched the blondes face, looking for an answer, but she only saw confusion. The brunette turned to Zion with an expectant look.

  
Zion frowned. _It could be...no, no that can't be right._ He wasn't sure what to think. Even being the Keryonfisa, this was new. He couldn't deny it either as he saw exactly what Octavia described. Even though he was one of the few that could still see her wings when they were hidden, he saw the moving shadows that surrounded her from behind. _"This isn't something that I have experience with. The shadows could be your wings. Maybe the high emotions caused you to partially reveal them."_ That just didn't make any sense to him even as he said it. When he views the wings in the spirit realm they look slightly translucent and never like shadows.

  
_"But you don't think that's it?"_ Octavia was a little lost. Zion was supposed to be the expert in all things spirit related, at least when it can to Wanheda. She watched him closely and could see that he was thinking about and discarding a variety of ideas. Patience was never her strong suit but she had a feeling that this was important so she held her tongue.

  
He started to pace as he thought of past Wanhedas and anything that he may have heard or seen. None of the other spirit bound souls he guided had this happen. He had seen them get angry, sad, happy, and many different emotions without it having an effect on them or the area around them excluding the release of pheromones. He had seen that happen several times...it could cause fear or euphoria in those around Wanheda. A useful tool once it was mastered. He had never seen the wings only partially appear and he was almost sure that that was impossible. They were either solid when in the physical plane or almost see-through when in the spirit realm...never in-between. After dismissing the idea that the shadows resulted from the wings themselves, he thought about conversations that he has had with Wanheda. He could only speak with her directly when she was a spirit unbound to a soul or when she takes control of a new souls body during the ceremony to bind her. None of the numerous conversations that he had with her shed any light on this.

  
The two girls watched while Zion continued to pace. They wanted to interrupt to discover what was going on but they knew that he would speak once he had an answer for them and not before. Clarke began to worry. She knew that Zion had many years of experience with the Wanheda and this was something that he couldn't explain. Thinking back, she also remembered that he was shocked by the very large and very detailed marking that she received. _This makes two things that he was surprised about. What the hell is going on?_ Her mental dialogue continued. She wondered if there was something wrong with her. Maybe Wanheda chose the wrong soul. Maybe she wasn't the anguished murderer but a vicious killer. Maybe her soul was corrupting the spirit. Her thoughts continued to spiral further into darkness and was only saved from the misery at end of that void by Zion halting his pace and facing them again.

  
Zion explained that he had never witnessed this happening before and there was no experience or information directly from Wanheda to explain what was happening. _"There was a woman that I met in the middle of the woods during a particularly bad snow storm about 50 years ago. She lived alone and apart from all others. I was following Wanheda as she heard a soul that was calling to her when I stumbled upon her home, she invited me in for a meal and a respite from the terrible weather. She knew that I was a Keryonfisa and that I was trailing behind a spirit. She knew because she could see her too. This was very unusual so I was wary of who this person was. After telling me her story, I realized that she was extremely in tune with the spirit realm. Where I can only see spirits who bind themselves to live souls, this woman could see and converse with any spirit. She told me about some of the knowledge she gained from them. One such story was about Wanheda. She was told that there would come a time of great conflict where Wanheda would bind herself to a person made of stardust and born amongst a vast and cold darkness. This person could save those in deaths embrace and had the ability to command fire to burn down their enemies. Wanheda would find her twin soul in this person and they would be bound together more firmly than with any other soul before or after. The two together would be a force...they could either be a savior or a damnation. Not only was this person supposed to be capable of such feats, they would also be bound to another spirit. Once that happened, there could be no force that could separate them and despite the terrible conflicts that would occur, they would be able to bring the people of the ground to a true and lasting peace."_ He paused. This was something that he hadn't thought of in many years. At the time, he thought that the woman was simply telling tall tales as he couldn't imagine a person such as she was describing. He began to believe that he may have been wrong as he compared the history of Clarke to the story told to him so long before. _"Now, to my knowledge, there is no way to bind more than one spirit to only one soul. I have no idea what it means or how it could happen but I believe that woman spoke about you."_

  
Clarke stared at Zion. She didn't know if she could believe that. Believing in Wanheda was a huge step for her on its own. It helped that she actually got to speak with her. She could accept that Heda was a spirit as well but anything more she just wasn't sure. It was difficult for her to believe in something without some type of proof or prior faith and her faith never extended towards religion or spirituality. She shook her head in doubt.

  
_"I have never seen a marking such as yours. Normally they are small and simple. They have never shown the additional symbols on your forearm or the extra details. You fight better than any other person I have guided. Besides Wanheda herself, none other could best me. You did so easily and even when fighting more than just me. You prowess in battle is impressive and so far beyond anything that I have seen. Others have taken months to adjust to the spirit and some have lost themselves in the process. That was never an issue for you. You woke up completely yourself and after a few moments it was like you had been that way your whole life. This has never happened before."_ Zion looked at the blonde and passionately praised her abilities. He was determined to make her believe as he was coming to believe. This was going to be troublesome. He knew that the same doubts Clarke had when they first met would make her reluctant to believe. Knowing that she could either be savior or destroyer made him try harder. He needed her to believe and ensure that she didn't destroy everything that she believed in. While he doubted that would ever happen, he wouldn't allow his disbelief to become a failure to protect Clarke. _"As to the shadows. The only thing that I can think of is that since you are the closest to be bound to Wanheda, you may be closely bound to the spirit realm as well. It's possible that you called spirits to you in your anger or that you pulled a piece of the realm itself to manifest on this plane to guard me or your back as you prepared to defend me. I honestly don't know. We will have to wait to see if it happens again. Maybe we will stumble across another witch in the woods who may have answers for us. While I doubt that will happen, we can hope."_

  
Clarke highly doubted that they would have that kind of luck. She figured that she would need to just learn as she went along day-to-day or situation to situation. Which was pretty much par for the course. She had to learn to be a leader, a survivor, someone the delinquents trusted to go to when that was never an option due to her parents standing. She supposed that it was just another thing to learn and grow with and decided to push it to the back of her mind.

  
The dark anger in her gut persisted so she decided to not deal with her mother quite yet. She knew that the woman would want to know every detail of her time away and no doubt had many thoughts on how much Clarke failed at any given thing. _I will deal with her later. And I will need to decide exactly how much to tell her about...everything._ I doubt she will be okay with her daughter having wings and a diet consisting of blood. The blonde sighed thinking about Abby. Maybe hanging out with Zion, Octavia, and Lincoln until night would help in calming the blondes inner turmoil. She still had some time till when the rest of the 100 would be gathering. That was something that she was looking forward to. There were a few that she was nervous to see but generally she was excited to visit and catch up with the rest. It was bound to be entertaining at the least.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of Camp Jaha

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay on updating. Work has been intense and Abby and I had our issues seeing eye to eye on this chapter. It's also a lot longer...I wanted to get all of this Camp Jaha visit done in this chapter. Hope you enjoy. Please let me know what you think...what you like, what you hate.

After the ridiculous ordeal with the stubborn and pig-headed skaikru, Clarke decided to spend time with her people. The ones who stuck with her through everything and the ones who came down with her. They knew how life really was on the ground and understood that the pointless rules of the Ark had absolutely no place on the ground. It seemed that the 100 that were sacrificed for 'the good of the many' were the sole population of Camp Jaha who realized their situation. They were no longer prisoners in a metal cage. They had ground to explore...animals and plants that they could only dream of before. The rest of the Ark that descended didn't understand the ground in the same way. They wanted to hold onto the politics and rules of the Ark with a death grip. The blonde hoped that they would wake up and realize that their world was different now. And different didn't have to be bad or the wrong way of doing things.

  
Clarke spent some time easily chatting with Zion, Lincoln, and Octavia. Once dusk fell, the group wondered over to the back of the camp. This area was mostly left alone. None other than the 100 seemed to venture into this secluded spot. They claimed it as their own. Various sized tents, several fire pits, and an area to prepare any meat or food to cook was scattered throughout the area. The blonde could already see some of the delinquents present, those that had already finished their daily work. She and her companions were readily accepted into the group.

  
The sight of her friends so happy brought a smile to Clarkes face. She was so pleased that her people had mainly overcome all of the shit they had to suffer to get to that point. She watched as more of the 100 came by until everyone was present. Zoe and Harper were messing around and joking with each other. Clarke noticed that they were closer than were expected and wondered whether there was something more blooming between them. Monty rolled out barrels of moonshine and struck up a conversation with Miller. The only person that the blonde didn't see was Jasper. She wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not.

  
Clarke sat at a log close to one of the larger fire pits while Lincoln stacked and lit the wood. She was warm and surrounded by those that she had grown to love. Monty plopped down next to her and handed her and her companions cups full with moonshine.

  
"Here's to celebrating your return. We have missed you dearly." Monty smiled softly to Clarke while taking a large drink from his cup.

  
The blonde held out her cup to her friend to salute him. "It seems like you guys have done well for yourselves. Are the rest of the Ark treating you right?" She continued to worry that they were still being treated like the criminals they were thought to be before. Even though Jaha had sworn that each and every one of them would be pardoned, she couldn't help the nagging feeling in her chest. After everything that they had suffered and all that they have accomplished, they should be treated as victorious warriors each with their own hard-won scars showing that they were survivors.

  
Monty shrugged. "We aren't treated poorly but you know the Ark. They still think they are in charge and their way is the right way. That we shouldn't become like the grounders since we are so much more civilized." He took another long pull from his cup. "Just because the deaths that the Ark caused left their hands clean of blood doesn't mean that they didn't cause as much suffering, Things are getting better with Kane but there are a lot of people who hate the grounders because of what happened."

  
Clarke sighed. She knew that the sky people thought they were better. The many people that they were responsible for killing were accomplished by a push of a button. They had never felt the blood of those that they killed covering their hands and because of that thought they were better than the grounders. At least the people of the ground understood and felt the damage of each life they took. Clarke was more than familiar with that feeling. At times, she felt like she was covered head to toe in the blood of her enemies. She hoped that the sky people would understand and change their viewpoint. They needed the grounders more than they realized. They had no idea of how to thrive upon the ground, how to make a lasting home. Maybe with Kane in charge he could begin that change. "I figured as much but hoped for more." She threw a half grin at Monty. "The people of the Ark need to learn to accept life here...including the people who already live here. They have been doing more than fine on their own without our so-called superior ways. But enough about that...I want to hear all about you guys. Any new gossip that you can dish out on our people?" She smirked at the excited gleam in her friends eyes. 

  
The group spent the rest of the night eating, drinking, and joking around with each other. It was a nice change of pace. There was no threat of war, no invisible enemies amongst the shadows...not counting any grounder scouts that may be keeping an eye on the camp. The mood was high and everyone enjoyed being in each others presence. The glaring exception was Jasper. Clarke was told that he had started spending time drinking alone to drown his sorrows over his lost love. She felt for him. Even though he had only known Maya for a short time, they created a bond and it was brutally ripped away when Clarke irradiated the mountain. There was nothing she could do though...she knew that. Jasper would either need to accept his life now and move on or wallow in his self-pity for losing a large part of his life. Each and every one of the 100 suffered and lost since they were sent to the ground. Jasper was no different and he would need to accept it and move on otherwise he would have no life. Guilt was a huge part of Clarkes life for the many choices that she made but she would never regret being able to save her people. _They always came first. No matter how I felt about it, I would have always saved them._ She figured that Jasper would either being a better person or he would self-destruct. No matter what, she wouldn't let him ruin the chances of anyone else on the ground.

  
After a while, several of the delinquents decided to call it a night and left their section of the camp. While Clarke was tired, she was enjoying the company of her friends too much to turn in. In a lull, she found herself sitting only with Lincoln while the remaining number of her friends played a drinking game. The blonde found the man to be great company. He knew when to talk and could revel in the comfortable silence between friends as well. During this particular silence, there was something on the blondes mind. She was being particularly introspective and she completely blamed the large quantity of moonshine she had. One of the first thoughts that she had when she decided to accept Wanheda was to help every single innocent person that she could. She had no preference about that either. It wasn't only sky people that she was thinking of and she honestly didn't feel that she could even relate to them as a whole, with the exception of the delinquents. Clarke thought further about how grounders referred to her...besides Wanheda it would be Klark kom Skaikru.

  
The blonde turned to Lincoln. _"How does it work with names for your people? Can someone change how they are referred to?"_

  
_"What do you mean?"_ Lincoln was a tad bit confused about where Clarke was going with this conversation. He knew that Clarke was a different person now than she was when she first landed on the ground. She had embraced life here and wasn't like most of the other sky people. She understood the cost of taking life and worked to become a better person to be the survivor of those encounters.

  
_"As you know, I've decided to become an advocate to every innocent. I barely get along with most of the people in this camp. They don't seem to understand that their lives are different now. There are new rules and they have no desire to change."_ Clarke sighed. No matter how much she thought on it, she simply couldn't understand how the sky people acted like they were still on the Ark. _"I'm different now. I don't care where a person was born. We are all grounders now and I feel that they all need protection no matter the clan. I don't want to be known as a sky person...I have no inclination to only be a protector of them. I want to help anyone that needs it and I don't want to be seen as being swayed or influenced by the wellbeing of the sky people first."_

  
Lincoln understood now. He knew that Clarke wanted to be of the people with no influence or ties to any one clan. Although it was rare, there were people who changed clans due to various reasons. He has never known of any person who cut all ties to any clan. Most people feel a connection or duty to a particular people and would fight or die for them. _"I do know that you can change clans however I've never seen someone claim no clan...besides the clanless or banished."_

  
_"I think I want to change my affiliations. I haven't been just a sky girl in a very long time but I also don't want to be connected to only this clan. Maybe...Klark kom kru. That would align myself with every person in the coalition."_ Clarke had a thoughtful look on her face. She knew that for herself, the decision to essentially change her clan was a simple and easy choice. The grounders may understand as well but she was sure that there would be some who thought that she was abandoning her people or that she thought they weren't a good clan. She knew that most of the sky people wouldn't understand or agree with her choice. They might view it as Clarke deserting them again like they assumed she did after the mountain. The blonde knew that there were few who understand the reason she left and even fewer who truly understood the why of her choice.

  
Lincoln stared in the fire. He was thinking about what kind of backlash Clarke or even the skaikru would get from this choice. It was most definitely the blondes choice on how she wanted to live her life but he knew that she would be concerned about her decisions causing any harm to others. _"Keep in mind that if you do make this choice, it could have either small or large repercussions. It will all depend on the standing of the coalition. The threat of the mountain was one of the major motivations to join together and with that gone, trade agreements and safety may not be enough to stop the power hungry from starting a war."_ He sighed at that. It was one thing that he never understood about his people. Why they couldn't be happy with the abundance they already had and instead coveted others he would never know. He hoped that the peace they have had for several years will last but he knew how some of the clan leaders were...always greedy and wanting what was never theirs. Instead of dwelling on something he knew he couldn't change he went back to Clarkes concerns. _"The clans could think you weak by discarding your clan name. They may think that you have no sense of loyalty or that you have the intention of swearing off your ties only to avoid accountability to that clan. Of course, once your decision was explained, most would rejoice that Wanheda wishes to serve all people but there will be those hungry for your power who will try to challenge you or discredit you. The other possibility would be an impact on the sky people. If you renounced your ties to them, the clans may think that there is something wrong that would cause you to not want to be associated with them. The clans may think that they did some terrible thing to drive you away or that they were so weak that you decided not to be one of them any longer."_

  
Zion had listened to the conversation and decided to join in. He had been alive for many years and had a more detailed knowledge of how the people of the ground thought. Hopefully with his guidance, Clarkes choices in this would not weaken her or the sky people. Even though the blonde wanted to no longer be a sky person, Zion knew that any harm to them would destroy Clarke. She did declare that she would care for all innocents after all. _"Klark, Lincoln is correct. If you became Klark kom Kru, it could cause unrest that would be directed at you, the sky people, or both. You will do as you believe is best, I do know that much."_ He smiled fondly at the blonde. _"I personally am proud of your choice. It shows that you care about all people no matter their origins. It would be best though if you didn't reveal it yet. To ensure that it isn't a sign of weakness for either you or your people, the declaration will need to occur with some kind of display so that the people will see that you becoming Klark kom Kru has only to do with your dedication to all people. They will see the proof in your actions and that it has nothing to do with the sky people."_

  
_"Thank you both. I get it but there is a part of me that hates it. If I were anyone else, no one would really care if I did this."_ Clarke let a moment of weakness in. Maybe it was the late night, the alcohol, or the friendly company. She had grown to understand her importance especially now that she was one with Wanheda but there were still moments where she wished that she were just another girl who could choose what to do with her own life rather than have expectations thrown at her. The blonde let herself wallow in the slice of selfpity that she felt before she pushed it away. She wasn't that fictional carefree girl who could do anything. She was Wanheda, a protector of the innocents in the world. That wasn't something to be upset about but rather something to feel pride in. _"I'm not anyone else though. I am Wanheda and me becoming Klark kom Kru will need to be a statement to the grounders that I am on their side as well. I will not be playing favorites and if the sky people are the ones risking or harming innocents, I will stop them just as I would do with anyone else. Once they can see that my words aren't empty, they will recognize my strength and dedication to this cause."_

  
The two men stared at the blonde in awe. After a momentary lapse where she looked forlorn, Clarke came back fighting. They could see that she was determined to do what was right even though her brand of right would be vastly different than that of others. Those within the clans were nationalists. They would protect, fight, and die if needed to please their clansmen or their leaders first. Even if they were in the wrong it wouldn't matter. The Azgeda were a prime example of that. No matter the disbelief of others, Clarke would stand strong. They could see the fire blaze in her eyes while she spoke with such conviction. She would do everything in her power to protect her people and she had decided that every single person would become her people whether they knew it or not. If the two men hadn't already decided to follow the blonde, that look would have them convinced. Her expression and words were so fierce that they almost feared for any who doubted her, challenged her, or went against her. But Clarkes excellence in fighting and battles made them terrified for the naysayers that were sure to come eventually. They knew that no matter the obstacles, the blonde would be victorious. She would create a world where parents stayed alive to care for their children and those children would learn more in life than war and basic survival.

  
The next morning was a struggle for everyone save Zion and Clarke. The rest of those involved in the celebrations had far too few hours of sleep and partook in far too many cups of moonshine. The two mildly sleepy but pain free people took pity upon their friends. They brought the group back to the delinquent portion of camp and prepared them a hardy breakfast and a wonderful herbal tea that almost completely removed the hangover symptoms.

  
Clarke enjoyed simply sitting with Zion and quietly watching her friends share light conversation and joking comments. Most of them had work details that they had to get to so she gathered their dishes and wished them all a great day. _When did I turn into the mother of this group?_ The blonde noticed that there was one who didn't leave. Raven remained sitting on one of the logs with her empty plate balanced on her knees. Clarke took note that the mechanic was still wearing her brace. Worry took root in the blondes belly and began to spread. _She should have been healed already! Did I do something wrong? Did I make it worse?!_ She thought back to last night and recalled seeing that the brace was on then too. At the time she figured that the nanotech needed time to work since the damage was so extensive. She had never done this before so she didn't know what to expect. The neutral expression on the brunettes face didn't help calm her nerves. She slowly approached her friend but couldn't speak through the tightness in her throat.

  
Raven slowly stood up and helped the blonde clean up the area. "I have to get to my workshop but would you mind coming with me?"

  
The blonde was nervous and slightly confused. She had seen her friend in many different moods but she had never seen her timid like this. Her worry continued to fester. She didn't know what to make of this situation but she would follow Raven without a doubt. After bidding Octavia, Lincoln, and Zion goodbye, she followed behind the brunette.

  
The workshop was in it's usual disarray that only Raven could decipher. The only thing different was the quiet. There was no one else present and the brunette was unusually silent. Clarke watched Raven move over to a stool before she sat and looked uncertainly towards the blonde. "Rae. What's going on?"

  
"It worked." Raven admitted it with a grim expression. "I've been wearing my brace since I don't know what to tell anyone about how I was miraculously healed. I figured you didn't want people to know about your magic blood." She didn't really know how to feel about this. She was excited to have the use back in her leg and not have to deal with the constant pain but she didn't know what to do now. She felt like she was waiting on something to go wrong.

  
Clarke smiled and walked up to her friend. "This is a good thing Rae. I know it's hard to accept and the ground has taught us that life is brutal. But the good things are the ones that you have to fight for. You have fought against the horrors we have faced and consider this a reward." The blonde hoped that Raven could see the light at the end of the very long and very terrifying tunnel they have traveled through. Out of anyone she knew, Raven deserved this and so much more. "And you don't need to tell anyone about it...if they ask just say that you got a grounder remedy from Zion or something. Most of the people in this camp know nothing about the grounders so it wouldn't be that unbelievable."

  
Raven smiled at that. Maybe she could just take this as a second chance and not expect the worst to happen like it always has. She knew that Clarke would give her the world if she could but at least this gift was attainable. "Your mom definitely will not accept that explanation. You know her and you know how the Griffin women are considering you are one yourself. She will want to poke and prod at me. What if she finds something that will give your secret away?"

  
"Well I was planning on telling her about everything...mostly. I can tell her that I was able to heal you and make sure she doesn't turn you into a lab rat. I just don't know exactly what to tell her or how she is going to take it." Clarke figured that she could handle her mother. However, she was nervous about revealing everything to her. _Maybe I'll just give her a shortened version._

  
The mechanic agreed and the two continued to talk while the brunette was tinkering with various projects she had strewn about the space. The girls got the chance to just be together with no outside worries or pressures. It was easy and comfortable. They both needed it and they both needed the family that they found in each other. 

* * *

  
That night, Clarke decided to have dinner with her mother. She had been in camp for two days and really only saw the older woman in passing. The doctor was busy with patients and Clarke was catching up with her friends.

  
Abby wanted something more intimate and prepared dinner in her quarters for them. She wanted to have an actual conversation with her daughter without the distraction of any others. She was confused and upset about her daughter leaving after the mountain without saying a word. She knew that things between them weren't ideal but she would have expected to be told that she was leaving. The doctor wanted to know what happened while she was gone. She could tell that her daughter was different somehow...she walked smoother and quieter, her body always seemed coiled as if ready for a fight, she kept her face blank and held back her emotions. None of those things were behaviors of her daughter before the mountain. Abby was also curious about the man that came with her. They seemed very close and her daughter was very protective of him. She had heard about the confrontation that occurred the day before with some of her people went against the man. The blonde entering her quarters cut off the doctors rambling thoughts.

  
Clarke entered with a smile and embraced her mother tight. "Hi mom. It smells delicious." There was soup that she suspected was rabbit, fresh bread, and a few vegetables. She was starving and the smell was overwhelming her.

  
"I made what I could. We don't have a huge variety at this point but I can guarantee that it's good. Please sit." Abby was pleased that she received a warm reception from her daughter. She could see however a tenseness to the blondes face. She figured that Clarke was holding something back but decided to let her speak about whatever it was when she was ready.

  
They exchanged simple conversation while they ate. Chatting about their days, the patients the doctor had seen to, and funny stories of the delinquents. Clarke was almost dreading the end of the meal. She was having a nice time with her mother and that wasn't something that had happened since her father was alive. She missed him so much and the easy happiness that they had as a family. Everything changed though and Clarke knew that there was no way to go back. They would need to come to terms with the fact that things were different now.

  
Once the food was gone, Abby leaned back and looked deep into Clarkes eyes. "So how about you tell me why you left without a word and what happened while you were away." She wanted to get straight to the point and she wanted the truth.

  
Clarke explained her story. The anguish she felt after the mountain, the meeting with Zion, the grounders beliefs and the spirit that was drawn to her. She could see the doubt in her mothers eyes. It was difficult to accept so she could sympathize with her. She went on to explain Wanhedas story and how she became a spirit...why she is drawn to certain souls. The blonde paused. She was unsure about exposing everything to her mother.

  
Abby could see the hesitance in her daughters face. She was dubious about the spirit talk and the grounders beliefs but she could see that her normally level headed daughter believed in it as well. She was curious but cautious. "I know there's more Clarke. You can tell me anything."

  
The blonde sighed as she stood up. She stripped out of her jacket, shirt, and weapons. She kept her marked side turned away from her mother. Her markings had escaped the notice of anyone she saw due to the long sleeves of her jacket and the hood that mostly covered the mark on her neck. She decided to expose her wings before turning to her mother hoping that the massive wings on her back would distract her from the brands. Thinking about it further, she realized that it probably wouldn't help but may in fact make it worse. _Oh well. Might as well get it all out in the open now. Rip off the band aid so to speak._ She described the ceremony and that her body went through changes while she was undressing and mentally preparing herself for her mothers reaction.

  
Turning to the doctor, Clarke exposed her wings and faced her mother head on. She could see the shock and disbelief in her mothers eyes. So many emotions flitted across her face...fear, anger, suspicion, pity, and many more that were too fast to decipher. Witnessing the negative emotions on her mothers face and having their strong scent invade her nose caused Clarke to guard herself. She carefully tucked her emotions away and cleared her face. She decided to be a mountain; after all, she was the only one able to destroy one.

  
"What have they done to you?!" The horror was apparent in Abby's tone. She knew that her daughter could hear it but there was nothing to be done. She was terrified about what had been done to her child, the only family that she had left. _Not only did the grounders make her have no choice but to commit genocide and force her into sneaking away from camp without a word, but they have turned her into..._ She had to stop her thoughts there. There was no way that she could think of her daughter as a monster or an abomination but the gigantic dark wings, the fangs, and the brands running down her left side could be described as such. _No matter what they have done to her, she is back and she is still my daughter. Right?_

  
Clarke felt her face harden after she witnessed her mother struggle not to say something. She had a pretty good idea what she was thinking. This whole situation was not normal particularly for the sky people but even so with the grounders. Having wings isn't a normal occurrence on the ground but at least they recognize it for what it is: having a higher calling by being chosen by a spirit. That was rare in and of itself. She wasn't even sure that there were more than two spirits. Shaking her head slightly, she focused on her mother again. She wouldn't let her mothers views on her bring her down. She was finally healing from all of the horrors that she had suffered and caused. The people from the Ark had no idea what they had to go through so they had no right to judge how they coped with what they had done. "No one has done anything to me. I already explained to you what happened. Zion, the Keryonfisa, found me and told me of Wanheda being attached to me. He offered to perform a ceremony in which I would learn much from Wanheda including how to heal from all of the shit that I have gone through. I met her and during the time I was asleep my body was altered. This," she waved to her body, "is what marks me as Wanheda and being bound with a spirit."

  
Abby could hear what Clarke was saying but she just couldn't grasp it. "Honey, this isn't right. It's not normal. Who knows what else this will do to you?! You shouldn't have trusted a grounder in the first place, especially after what they have done to us, and now you have done something that may not be something that can be undone." She needed her daughter to se reason. Not only did the grounders change her into something inhuman but they made her believe that spirits were real and she was now this Wanheda. "How about we go to my office? We can do an examine and a blood test. I can figure out a way to fix this."

  
"There is nothing to fix. I am exactly who I have always been and now I'm just who I was always meant to be. I am happy as I am and I am finally healing. Isn't that what you want for me? To be healthy and happy?" Clarke wanted to reach through her mothers disbelief and superior attitude to the mother that she remembered. Even though she was powerful in her own right, she wanted to have the support of her mother. Maybe it was naïve but it was something that she couldn't shake.

  
The doctor looked sadly at the blonde. "You are not healthy Clarke. You have allowed the grounders to actually alter your body and you believe their legends of spirits. Honey, that type of thing isn't real. The Clarke that I know would agree with me."

  
Anger began to curl in Clarkes gut. She could understand her mothers point of view however her condescending words and tone was unnecessary. How her mother still didn't see her as a responsible adult more than capable of making her own decisions was beyond her. "I can understand that you are having a difficult time understanding or believing this. But know that none of this was done against my will. I was not brainwashed into believing in 'legends' or anything else of the sort. Every decision was made by me and by thinking through everything: every explanation, every option, every benefit, and every problem." Somehow, Clarke straightened her spine even further as she set the record straight again for her stubborn mother. She would not allow her to diminish or invalidate her choices. "This is who I am now mother. I will not be allowing you to examine me for the sole purpose of 'fixing' me. As I said, there is nothing to fix. I would suggest that you accept that this is the reality now. There are things far greater and more mysterious than we know on the ground and you need to stop thinking like you are still in the sky." She turned to leave. There was no point in continuing the conversation. At this point her mother was stuck in what she perceived as the truth  and they would get nowhere fast with that.

  
"Clarke! Where do you think you're going? You are coming with me and I am going to fix this!" Abby shouted to her daughters retreating back. She would not let her daughter continue to suffer these delusions and aberrations on her body. No matter what her daughter said, she knew what was best for her and she would do whatever was necessary to protect her. She reached out to grab Clarkes arm to stop her from leaving.

  
The blonde heard her mother quickly come up behind her and felt her reach out. She twirled around to face her mother again. She could feel her anger rising to rage and could almost feel it seep out of her body into the room. "You will not stop me from leaving. You will not be examining me. You will not be fixing anything. You are not in control of me or my life. Do you understand?" Her voice was low and calm but dripping with icy rage. The blonde watched as her mother cringed away from her. She realized that she was releasing pheromones in the air with her rampant emotions. These particular ones were to force submission in prey. If she hadn't been quite so irate she may have felt bad about doing that to her own mother but at this point she was like a stalking predator. She would accept nothing but complete surrender in the doctor. She cocked her head to the side and stared at the older woman. "Do you understand?"

  
Pure fear. Abby's mind was stuck as she witnessed the power that was always collided in her daughters body as of late unfurl. It suffocated her with its strength. She could see that her daughter was serious in getting nothing but approval from her. She knew that the blonde was angry even though her face was a blank mask and her voice was calm. Even though she wanted to argue, she decided it wasn't the most important thing at this moment. It was dealing with her daughter who looked ready to pounce. "Yes, I understand."

  
Clarke waited a moment to be sure of her mothers sincerity. Satisfied, she once again turned to leave but remembered that she had stripped out of her clothes for the big reveal. She collected the items while hiding her wings. While she dressed and rearmed herself she tilted her head to look at the doctor from the corner of her eyes. "I was able to heal Raven. She has full use of her leg again and has no pain. She is going to give a different story to anyone who asks but as you are her doctor and I knew you wouldn't accept a lie, I am telling you what really happened. You will not treat her as a guinea pig or use her to try to find out how I healed her. That is between her and I...and honestly, I don't trust you with that information. Am I understood?" She left after receiving a nod from Abby.

  
Walking quickly out of the metal death trap, Clarke stepped outside and took in a deep breath. That reunion didn't go as she had hoped...more so, how she feared. The distraction of Abby determined to 'cure' her completely derailed her plans. She wanted to explain more to her mother, her desire to become better, to protect those who need it. She figured that her mother wouldn't like her putting herself in danger but she hoped that she could see the reason why it was something worth doing. None of that happened though. She got into another fight with her mother about her choices in life. That woman was so stuck in her own way of thinking. Clarke assumed that she would have shed some of that arrogance and superiority after her decisions on the Ark resulted in her fathers execution. The blonde hoped that her mother could see past all of the otherworldly parts and still she her. If her mother couldn't think past 'fixing' her, she didn't think they would move past this. This was her life now and it was up to her mother to accept it and move on or not.

  
Clarke began searching for Zion. She needed the comfort that his presence always provided to her now. He became such an important person to her in such a short time and perhaps it went so smoothly because he saw her for who and what she was...not something that he wanted her to be. He easily provided complete acceptance and unconditional support to the blonde. At times, she wonders what she could have possibly done to deserve having him in her life. It felt like she had known him more than a few weeks but that was most likely due to him being with Wanheda for almost 100 years and since she is Wanheda now, her soul and spirit recognized him.

  
Zion and Lincoln were in the training pits set off to the side of the camp. They were sparring while some of the delinquents watched on. The area was not used often and only used by the remaining 100 and some of the guards. The sky people still relied too heavily on the supposed might of their guns and technology. Clarke found it amusing. Not so long ago, she was more comfortable using the weapon instead of her body but now her body was a weapon itself. She had plenty of knives, swords, her bow, and whip to protect her and they would do a far better job than the guns of the skaikru. She smiled fondly while watching the spar even as her unease from the night with her mother remained. Zion definitely had the upper hand as he had far more experience but Lincoln was holding his own as well.

  
During the spar, Zion saw Clarke approaching. He could see the tension in her body and the carefully placed blank mask upon her face. Worried, he decided to end the fight quickly. He ducked under a wide swing and swept the legs out from under Lincoln. On his descent, Zion lifted a leg high and slammed it down upon the other mans chest to wind him and pin him down. He got up and held an arm out for Lincoln. Turning, he walked over to Clarke with concern in his eyes. He saw a twist of her lips that may have been a smile or a grimace before grabbing her hand and leading her back to the delinquent section of the camp and the tents that they have been using there. He lit a fire in the tent and sat both Clarke and himself down at the small table.

  
Clarke stared blankly ahead of her. She was thinking more about what her mother said and how she reacted to her challenging the blonde. Losing control like that shouldn't have happened and she was worried about how far she would go if something like that happened again. She began to tell Zion of her night with her mother in an empty voice. The disapproval and almost rejection was hitting her hard and she had no qualms about showing that weakness to Zion.

  
The man sat and listened to Clarkes tale. He clenched his fists in anger when he discovered what Abby said to her daughter. _How could she think her daughter was weak and stupid?! She is the most awe inspiring person I have met. She was a lost and soft child thrown out into the savage wilderness and she succeeded in stopping an army, stopping a war with an intelligent alliance, and destroyed a mountain and all of the monster contained within. She did all of that in months. She led her people to survival and victory...not her mother, not the so-called 'leaders' of skaikru._ _It was all Clarke._ He was frustrated that Abby could not see her own daughter. She only saw the girl that she was in the sky and not the one that she created by banishing their own children to the ground. After the blonde finishing explaining, Zion held out his arms and gathered her up. He held her gently and with love...like her mother should have done. He smiled sadly when she lightly purred in her contentment. He was happy that he could give her that respite from the difficulties of life even if only sometimes.

  
He gently laid her down after she fell asleep in his arms and pulled a fur up to cover her. He smiled softy as he removed her boots and most of her weapons. Next, he got himself ready for rest and drifted off thinking about Abby. Hope that she would change her mind wasn't a big expectation for him...after all, he knew the daughter quite well. He would offer to speak with the doctor and try to convince her to be open else she will drive her daughter away for good, but he doubted that she would be willing to even speak with him. Deciding to wait and see how things played out, he finally fell into sleeps embrace. 

* * *

  
The next morning  Zion and Clarke shared breakfast alone as their two companions hadn't yet woken. The blonde was relieved that the drama that happened the day before wasn't still pressing down on her. The comfort of Zion and the full night of uninterrupted sleep did wonders for her. She decided that she wasn't going to be going out of her way to speak with her mother for some time. After their talk, she left the rest up to Abby. It would be her choice to approach her with questions or hopefully acceptance at some point. However, she wasn't planning on holding her breath on that. Her mother was just as stubborn as she was.

  
Octavia stumbled out of the tent while a more put together Lincoln followed. They sat across the fire from their friends and started preparing their food. The brunette scowled in Clarkes direction when she heard her chuckle. She would be the first to admit that she wasn't a morning person but she was up late worried about Clarke and the sky people. Her brother had come to her asking a lot of questions about Clarke and Wanheda. It was nice for her to have a fellow person from the Ark to talk to about it as Lincoln found the whole ordeal completely normal. Even though she was more accepting about it than her brother was at first, she was able to voice her concerns and realize that the Ark really knew nothing despite their supposedly superior knowledge and technology.

  
_"What do you guys think about a spar? I feel like I haven't been training as much as I should since we got here. Are you busy this morning O? Linkon?"_ Clarke was feeling like she had been having emotional spars rather than physical. She was now used to hand to hand and weapons and would almost prefer to use that type of skill rather than the complexities of emotions and issues with other people.

  
The couple looked to each other and silently agreed. _"We aren't busy at all today. Maybe we can head over after everything is cleaned up?"_ The blonde nodded and they watched her go to her tent.

  
Octavia stared after her, lost in thought. She hadn't had much of an opportunity to speak with Clarke while they had been in camp. She realized that it had only been a few days there but the blonde had so many ghosts that resided in this camp for her. Those of the ones they had lost and those of the ones that she felt she failed. Turning, she looked over the Zion. _"Is she doing okay? I know that she was nervous on the way here and she has had a few intense moments with some of the skaikru."_

  
_"She is okay today but you can always ask her. You know that she will talk to you about anything. The two of you have built a strong bond. You both took the issues that you had in the past and forged it into a stronger foundation for your friendship now."_ Zion didn't want to disclose the confrontations that the blonde had with her mother. He knew that Clarke would share it all with Octavia when they had some time to themselves to chat. Also, the fact that Octavia may confront Abby about it made him wary of sharing the information. If anyone could keep the wild warrior mostly in line, it would be Clarke.

  
Octavia was a little worried. _Zion said that she is okay today...did that mean that she wasn't okay the past few days and I just didn't notice?_ The decision to make some time today to speak with her friend was easy for her to make. She knew that the physical exercise would help her expel any negative emotions she may be feeling. They headed out to the sparring rings and Octavia was happy to note that they were going to be spending several hours there just based on the eager and determined eyes of the blonde. 

* * *

  
Abby had woken up with a lot on her mind. Thinking about what her daughter had become kept her up late and the thoughts still plagued her in the morning. She was determined to see Raven first before she would try to rally her friends into helping her fix Clarke. There was no way that her daughter could have healed the mechanic, the damage to her spine and the nerves was too severe. She wanted to make sure that whatever Clarke attempted to do to fix Raven didn't actually cause more harm.

  
Knocking loudly on Ravens door, she waited and thought of how she would convince Clarke to come into her office for an exam. She heard swearing and things banging around inside the mechanics room before the door swung open to reveal a blurry eyed and sleepy Raven.

  
"What the fuck doc?! The sun has barely come up so why in the hell are you waking me up and this god awful hour?" Raven was grumpy about this rude awakening. She was having a wonderful dream and really wished that she could dismiss the doctor and attempt to go back to it...as unrealistic as that was.

  
An unimpressed look was plastered to the doctors face. "I need to examine you. Clarke told me that she healed you and that you are perfectly fine. That is absolutely ridiculous and I need to make sure that she didn't cause any more damage to your back and leg."

  
Raven sighed. After Clarke told her that she was going to explain everything to her mom, she had her doubts. She knew that Abby wasn't going to be open to any of it, including her daughter healing her. She was not looking forward to this, especially so early in the morning. "Fine. Come on in."

  
Abby moved into the room after the mechanic stepped out of the way. She gestured for Raven to sit on her bed so she could begin. She examined her with her eyes and hands and found nothing unusual. After having the brunette move her leg and back, she had her stand, walk, squat, bend, and sit. She sat back with a frown. Not only was there nothing additionally wrong with Raven but she wasn't showing any signs of pain or discomfort at all. _This isn't possible!!_ "What exactly did she do to you? There is nothing wrong that I can find and I would only be able to tell more with tests."

  
"No. Nope. If Clarke didn't tell you how she healed me then I'm not going to do it. Also, you will not be examining me further to confirm what we both already know to be true. If for any reason I regress, then you can run tests then but not before." Raven would not be telling Abby something that Clarke didn't want her to know. Even though she generally liked the doctor herself, she knew that she treated the blonde like a misbehaving child most of the time. She knew that Clarke could take care of herself and honestly always did a better job as leader to the skaikru than any other person from the Ark. She was concerned however that Clarke didn't share the details on how Raven got healed. That alone told the brunette that the mother/daughter conversation didn't go well just as she had feared.

  
The doctor grumbled. Frustration burned in her. She didn't understand the absolute loyalty that the delinquents displayed when it came to her daughter. They refused to do the same to the current Chancellor...not that they didn't respect Marcus but they didn't really look to him as the official and true leader. "I will find out Raven. Besides that, do you know what she has done to herself?"

  
A frown graced Ravens face. "What do you mean what she has done to herself?"

  
"She let the grounders turn her into something not human and she actually believes their nonsense about being chosen by a spirit. Or they somehow made her believe it when she was defeated by what happened before she left." Abby scoffed. The whole idea was preposterous. Her daughter would never have bought into that, she was sure of it.

  
Raven laughed ignoring the affronted look on the doctors face. She could see the clear disbelief in the whole idea of spirits and the pity that she had for the blonde for being 'brainwashed' into believing it. "She did in fact tell me all about it and showed me everything. There was plenty of examination involved as well. It's really not that difficult to believe. I mean sure there was a definite 'what the fuck' moment included but after the shock of it faded it wasn't that hard to accept." Raven could see the wide eyed look on Abby's face that she could accept and believe this whole thing. She sighed and rubbed her face. "Look Abby, you can agree that I am a genius right?" Abby nodded. "Well being a genius, I am well aware that I cannot possibly know everything there is to know. It would be arrogant to a level that even I can't reach to honestly think that we, those from the Ark, know every single thing there is to know in the universe or on the ground. I can accept that we understood most of our environment in a scientific space station but we don't know what is in the vastness of space or what exactly inhabits the earth. After hearing the story of what Clarke went through and seeing the evidence of it, and not just the physical stuff, well it would be insane not to accept it."

  
Abby couldn't keep the shock off of her face. She was having a hard time with the fact that Raven seemed completely calm about this and worse that she was accepting the whole spirit story as well. The mechanic worked in the physical world and relied on facts and rules so her believing in something that couldn't be based on those was unimaginable. She figured that trying to get her help in talking some sense into Clarke wouldn't work so she focused on something else for the time being. "What do you mean the changes not including the physical ones?"

  
"You'll have to find that out on your own. If Clarke wanted you to know I'm sure she would have told you. I have a feeling that you brought up the fact that she was in need of fixing when you spoke and I'm sure that went swimmingly." Raven rolled her eyes to the sky. She really got annoyed with he Griffin women on occasion. "Look, why don't you go by the training area. Observe but don't interrupt. If you do, you'll just make it worse. But if you want to know some of what I'm talking about you'll see it there."

  
The doctor couldn't imagine what she would see. Maybe it would be her daughter learning to fight. She would not be pleased to see that and was sure that she wouldn't be able to not interfere. Protecting her daughter was the only thing that mattered, and her learning to fight and put herself in danger went against that. "Maybe I will swing by there now."

  
Raven wanted to shake the stubborn doctor. She could already see the resolve to stop Clarke from fighting if she was there. The brunette had seen Clarke take on Zion, Lincoln, and Octavia all at once. She was in awe of how well her friend fought now and she was worried about how Abby would take it even though she decided that the risk was worth it. The doctor needed to understand that her daughter was different more than physically and that was because of her soul being bound to a spirit. Maybe the demonstration would help her come to terms with it. "I'm serious Abby. Don't try to interrupt. You need to understand that Clarke has made her choices and will live her life as she sees fit. The only thing that you have any control over is whether you will be in her life. If you continue to attempt to enforce your opinions and decisions for how her life should be, you will only drive Clarke away from you." Raven paused trying to think about how she can force the doctor to open her eyes. Sighing in frustration she decided to continue. "You haven't had the chance to see it but Clarke is healing. The choices that she has made and all of the lives that she has taken don't weigh so heavily on her now. The only reason for that is because of the spirit. It taught her how to live with the death count she has and how to move past it. She is happy now. Isn't that what you want for her as a mother? Don't you want to be in her life?"

  
"Of course I want her to be happy. But I also want her safe and healthy. This spirit nonsense convinced her to modify her body into something else and that is not healthy or safe. She doesn't know the effects this may have on her and the fact that she has been convinced that she is this Wanheda isn't healthy either." Abby was adamant that while her daughter may be happy, she wasn't healthy.

  
Groaning in frustration, Raven got up and began pacing. "I totally get that you don't understand or believe everything about this with Clarke but I'm telling you, it's real. I may not understand it all as well as I would prefer but it's fact. Clarke does actually know all of the effects that these changes made to her body and you would know as well if you had been open with her rather than shutting her down about it." She ran her hands roughly through her hair. Defaulting to her direct and blunt nature, Raven tried to convince Abby of the reality of their situation. "You are going to need to be willing to actually think about this Abby. You need to take in the evidence and what your daughter and I am telling you. If you keep shutting the whole thing down and keep trying to 'fix' her, you are going to lose your daughter."

  
Abby smiled slightly. "I'm her mother. She will learn that I am right about this and listen to me eventually." When something went wrong or when her daughter had doubts or concerns about this, she was certain that the blonde would go to her. She decided that she would just have to wait for that to happen and when it did she would do all that she could to help repair whatever it was she did to herself. She didn't see the disbelieving and disapproving shake of Ravens head as she left the room.

  
Quickly, the doctor made her way over to the little used training grounds. She didn't really get why some people insisted on learning how to fight like the grounders. They had their guns and superior grasp of technology to keep them safe. Ignoring the beautiful day and the few people who were awake that early in the day, she drew closer to her destination. She decided to stay further back and out of sight to figure out exactly what Raven wanted her to see. She stood back further into some shade provided by the closet building to the sparring rings...she stood completely still in shock, listening and watching. She couldn't quite comprehend what she was seeing and hearing.

  
Clarke stood in the middle of the ring with Lincoln, Octavia, and Zion slowly circling her. She had already gone against them individually and in pairs but decided that she wanted the challenge that came when she had to worry about multiple opponents coming from various directions. The unpredictable nature of it and the many attacks what would occur had her blood humming. She enjoyed the thrill of a good fight. It was always a great source of confusion for her before when she saw Octavia get so excited to spar or to learn how to fight. She didn't understand the appeal at all. Now, however, she understood completely. All of the separate parts of a fight were harsh but came together to create a beautiful dance of hits, kicks, and blades. There was nothing quite as satisfying as having her body become her most dangerous weapon. _"Come on guys. Are you just going to keep circling me all day? Are you afraid I'll put you on your asses again?"_ The blonde smirked. She knew that the men were too controlled to let her slight taunt get to them but Octavia on the other hand was not. The brunette charged Clarke with a snarl on her face. And so the fight began. She twirled around, between, under, and over her three opponents. There were grunts from successful strikes and clanging of blades meeting. The blonde wanted to laugh. She felt so happy and free when she was fighting, it cleared her mind of everything other than whose blade she was dodging or want weaknesses she could strike at. The spar continued for several minutes. Octavia was once again out first but she was lasting longer than before. Lincoln followed shortly after leaving only Zion. They picked up their pace and spun around each other at a dizzying pace until Clarke disarmed him and held a sword to his throat. _"As always it was a pleasure. O, you are improving. You lasted much longer this time."_ She was pleased to see the bright eyes of her friend at the praise. The blonde would never lie about it and Octavia knew that. Finished for the morning, they wandered off to their tents to get cleaned up. They never noticed the shadow of Abby nor her slowly retreating before she could be spotted.

  
Octavia took the opportunity to speak with Clarke as the men were off chatting with each other. She was happy to see the lightness to the blonde after their morning but she knew that there was something bothering her. _"Hey. Is everything okay?"_ She watched her friend give her a small and uncertain smile and knew that she was going to brush it aside. _"Don't even think about it. I know that something is bothering you. Is it someone at camp getting you shit? Or is it just being here with them?"_

  
Clarke sighed. She may have thought about denying that there was something the matter but she reminded herself that Octavia was a great friend and would listen and probably understand what she was going through. _"A little of both I guess. I mean, it's great seeing our people but everyone else here is frustrating. Like the whole thing that happened with Zion...seriously, I was halfway tempted to pull a blade on that idiot. They look at us like we are beneath them and they look at me like a little girl who was and is trying to play dress up in adult clothes. It just pisses me off! These people don't know anything about what we went through and think that they know what's best. Honestly they are the children here, not us."_ Clarke shook her head sharply in irritation. She never harbored such anger towards the Ark until they were reunited with them. How they could think that all would be just the same on the ground was mystifying to her. _"...I talked to my mom. I tried to tell her about everything but...well, it didn't go well or get very far. She was insisting that the grounders 'brainwashed' me into believing in spirits and that I allowed them to pretty much mutilate my body. She believes that she needs to fix me."_

  
_"That fucking woman!"_ Octavia was pissed. Being as Abby was on the council, she never particularly liked the women but seeing and hearing the way she treated Clarke was the tipping point. She never respected her before and now it would never happen. The brunette knew that what happened to Clarke was amazing. Sure it would be difficult and dangerous, but she was meant to do great things as Wanheda. Her initial concerns about the spirit had faded with time. She knew that Clarke was still Clarke but now she was just more. The blonde had a better purpose now and she knew that she would do anything she could to help her with it. Protecting all innocent life would be impossible but being able to save even one would be worth it. She bitterly thought that Abby should respect that choice and admire her determination to help people. _"I seriously don't know what the fuck is wrong with her. You are her daughter for fucks sake! She should be happy that you are safe and happy in life. She should be happy that you have an amazing purpose to your life now. I get that it's hard to accept the ways of the people on the ground for a sky person but just because she doesn't believe doesn't mean anything. It still happened no matter what she thinks is true and she should accept it. And, did she seriously think that you of all people would allow anyone to brainwash or mutilate you?! Argh!"_ She jumped up and began pacing.

  
Clarke was amused. Although the topic did still stress her out, it was nice to see that her friend did care so much and that she got so worked up over it. _"Trust me, I know. We had words last night...well we did until I scared her into submission actually. I doubt that she has changed her mind since then either."_ She was resigned to not having her mother in her life for some time.

  
_"This is bullshit! I think I'm going to take Linkon back to the training pits. I need to work out some of this aggression before I go up to Abi and blow up in her face."_ She turned to walk over to her love but stopped suddenly. _"Oh, you should talk to Belomi too."_ Walking back over to Lincoln, she excused them from Zion and pulled him towards the pits.

  
Zion frowned after them. He saw the anger vibrating in Octavia's form and was worried. Turning towards Clarke, he relaxed slightly seeing that she was calm. He walked to the blonde. _"Is everything okay?"_

  
Clarke laughed. _"Yes. I just told her about what happened with my mother. She is going to fight off some of her aggression so she doesn't attack her. She asked that I go talk to her brother. I'm hoping that he has gotten over the shock of me so we can actually talk. Did you want to come?"_

  
_"No, thank you though. I think I will stay here for a while. It will be nice to have some peace and quiet from you and your crazy friends."_ He laughed loudly at the affronted face the blonde made. Ruffling her hair despite her dodging, he shooed her away so he could spend some of his new silent time to meditate.

  
The blonde made her way out of the area they were staying in. She wasn't sure where to find Bellamy so she asked the first delinquent she found. Harper pointed her in the direction of his tent. She noticed that most of the 100 stayed outside. She figured that after spending extended amounts of time in lockup made them want to sleep under the wide open sky instead of metal cages. That was something that Clarke could agree with. The time she had spent in the bunker had been making her a tad bit stir crazy. She easily found Bellamy's tent and heard that he was already awake so she called out to him. He opened the flap and invited her in. The space was small but clean and cozy. It was the perfect area to rest and take time for oneself. "Morning Bell."

  
The man smiled. "Hey Clarke. How are you?"

  
"Good. I got in some training with the trio this morning so I'm in a great mood. How about you?"

  
Bellamy had actually never seen Clarke in action yet. He knew that she had changed and he could feel the power within her body since he first hugged her so he was sure that she was a much better fighter now. "You know, I would actually love to see that. You fighting I mean. I figure you must be pretty good now just based on what you and O told me. Maybe before dinner tonight we can have some of the delinquents come by and we'll watch?" He waited until he got the blondes agreement. "Great! I'll make a bet too. Since I already know that you can kick some ass now, I will totally win." He smiled at the laugh that came from his friend before his face became serious. "So about the other day, I'm sorry I didn't handle it well. It was just a lot to take in. I talked to O, Raven, and Lincoln about it...you know to get a better understanding about what exactly happened with you and if you were still the same Clarke that I knew. I know it's ridiculous to think otherwise now but with your outside changed so much, I wasn't sure what else was different. They all told me more about you and Wanheda and what exactly was done to you. I get it now. We have done a lot of shitty things since we have been sent here...things that can't be forgotten or washed away. You were given the chance to make it better and I am so happy about that. You deserve it after everything you have done for us and sacrificed for us. Even when most of our people thought you were wrong and never thanked you for saving them."

  
"Bell. I wasn't the only one who did that. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't be here today. You helped me bring the 100 together to survive. You went into the belly of mountain by yourself and took down their defenses with only a little help. You have kept them safe since the then too. Don't think that you aren't just as important." Clarke was so thankful that her friend was still on her side. She had her doubts after he practically ran away when she told him about Wanheda. After he accepted the mantle of leadership, he had always been someone that she could count on to have her back or just support her. She watched her friend grow from a ridiculous and selfish man-child into a responsible and caring man.

  
He cleared his throat and spoke more gruffly. "Yeah Clarke, thanks." He tried to clear the emotion out of his throat. "I'm happy that you're happy. I know that you aren't going to stay here long but you're always welcome. I will take care of our people but just make sure you take care of yourself yeah?"

The blonde smirked. "Of course. You know that is always my first priority."

A hefty sigh and a seriously intense eye roll was the only response from the man. He was intimately familiar with her selfless and self-sacrificing attitude. Having her three constant companions helped him achieve a slight piece of mind that she would be mostly safe. "Yeah sure princess. Oh wait...is it grounder princess now?" Bellamy chuckled after the blonde shoved him. "Forget I asked then. I was planning on making the rounds this morning to check in with everyone. Did you want to come? You can see what everyone is up to when we have to act like adults."

"Yeah that sounds good and then I need to speak with Kane today too." Clarke sighed thinking about it. She needed to convince him that they needed to be friendly to the grounders and maybe come up with something they can do to show that they won't be looking for justice for the betrayal. Avoiding a possible war was important but also, they needed to learn how to thrive on the ground. During her stay, she noticed that they had very limited resources. Meat can only go so far...they needed grains, fruits, and vegetables as well. She didn't see any storage areas for these types of food or any indication that they had fields to grow it. Clarke saw the question on Bellamy's face. "As much as you guys think you don't need the grounders, you're wrong. They have lived here for almost 100 years and have learned how to grow, harvest, hunt, and fish. Sure you guys could figure it out but what happens if you fail? How many people will starve if you don't succeed?"

Bellamy grimaced. "Yeah I know Clarke. It honestly seems like the adults aren't all that concerned with it. We know what it's like to starve and try to find food here but they haven't learned that lesson. Knowing them, they won't take it seriously until it's actually a problem." He thought about the grounders and how well it would go to ask them for help. They had a lot of skills that the grounders don't need or care about and they have absolutely nothing of value to trade. He paused. Thinking about the grounders without anger was new. He figured the long talks he had with his sister and Clarke and the grounders as well made a bigger impression than he thought. She pointed out that the betrayal was the decision of one person and that that person had valid reasons for her own people. He recalled visiting the village and camps with Clarke during the alliance. There were so many regular people there...blacksmiths, farmers, healers, teachers, children. Their idea that it was a war based civilization was true but it wasn't the only thing that existed for those people. He saw the wide range of people and at the time figured that they weren't quite as different from them as they had assumed. After the mountain though, he hated all of them and would be happy to never see another grounder again. When he told Octavia that though, her only response was to pointedly look at Lincoln. His initial reaction was to say that he was different but then he realized that the same thing could be said for each and every grounder. That revelation changed his viewpoints and he was grateful that he didn't carry a hate for an entire people anymore. He smiled sheepishly at the slight concern on the blondes face. "Sorry. My mind wandered there. Let's go see everyone and then I'll take you to Kane."

The blonde followed him and stopped by each of the delinquents work details. She got to see what they each did and took a moment to catch up with them. Bellamy walked her to where Kane was and departed after a reminder from the blonde to meet her at the training grounds before dinner. Clarke took in a deep calming breathe before knocking on Kane's door. She was nervous that he would be like the rest of Ark and wouldn't listen. _No, that won't happen. He admires Lexa and respects the grounders so he should be open to building some bridges with them._ Hoping that was enough, she prepared to convince him of some things she had on her mind.

* * *

Some time before dinner, Bellamy walked over to the training grounds. He wondered who she would spar with and assumed it would be Octavia. _She may be stronger now but even O has been training longer than her. There is no way that she would go up against Linc or Zion...right?_ That thought made him a little nervous so he picked up some speed to walk faster. He knew they wouldn't actually hurt her on purpose but accidents happen. When he reached the sparring rings, he found all four of them stretching and warming up their limbs. They looked fearsome even while they easily chatted together in trigedasleng. _Wait...what?! Clarke speaks that language. Since when?!_

Octavia bounced over to him. "Hey bro. What are you doing over here? Looking for a little friendly fighting?" She waggled her eyebrows to him and lightly punched him in the shoulder. Frowning at the gobsmacked look on his face, she asked, "Are you alright?"

"She speaks _perfect_ trigedasleng?" He turned his wide eyes over to his sister begging silently for an answer. He wasn't really sure why this surprised him so much considering she showed off all of the changes to her body only a few days before.

A bubbly laugh escaped Octavia's throat. "Why are you so surprised?"

Bellamy composed his face and grumbled at his sister. "Point taken. I knew that she changed...she is stronger and obviously has been learning to fight. But it just caught me off-guard."

"Well enjoy the show." She smirked at him. _If he is shocked by her language skills, he isn't going to know what hit him once the fighting starts._ She walked over to the three still in the ring and took her place. Clarke had wanted to go against all of them again. The brunette knew that she was itching to add more opponents to her spars but seeing as none of the sky people could fight the blonde was making due. Watching the rest of them get into position she waited to make a move. One of the things that most bugged her about sparring with Clarke was that she was so still. She gave absolutely nothing away in her face and especially nothing in her face. If she didn't know Clarke, the look that the blonde adopted would scare her. She feared for any who ended up on the wrong end of Wanheda. She decided not to start the spar this time around and waited patiently until Lincoln went on attack. Thus, the fight began. She smiled wide. _This was a fantastic day! A fight in the morning, a (verbal) fight in the afternoon, and another fight to finish out the day._

Bellamy barely blinked. He was impressed with his sister. She seemed to have gotten better than he remembered. He also admired Zion and Lincoln with their powerful and graceful movements. But Clarke. That would have had his jaw dropping if not for the fact that he was frozen. She was even more powerful and graceful then the grounders. She moved so fast that at time he didn't see how she got from one point to another. The icy indifference that was her face gave him chills. His final thoughts before the escalating fight wiped the rest away was... _she is devastatingly deadly._ He managed to get himself under control when the fight ended. The awe, shock, slight fear, and disbelief were gone. He knew that he wasn't actually afraid of Clarke but he feared what she would need those skills for and he felt grateful that they would never need be directed at him. "You...umm...wha-?" He shook his head. _Maybe I didn't pull myself quite all the way together._ "So I guess it should be warrior princess then huh?"

Clarke groaned while Octavia laughed loudly. "Seriously enough with the princess thing." She sniffed while raising her head high and looked aloof. "It's simply unbecoming for Wanheda to be known as something so plebeian as princess." The blonde held that removed and frankly queenly look from her face while the siblings stared with their mouths hanging open. She smirked and relaxed her face.

Octavia shoved her. "While that was very convincing, please don't ever do that again. Someone may think you are letting this get to your head... _prinnncesss._ " She couldn't help herself and purposely said the hated name in a dragged out singsong voice.

"You had me going there. I don't know if we should all be worried that you can act so well or not." Bellamy had to shake his shock off once again. He laughed at Clarkes seriously annoyed face at her nickname. "I don't know about you guys but watching you guys has made me starving so can we go eat?"

The five of them headed to the mess hall to eat with the entirety of the Ark instead of separate at their own fire. Clarke ignored the comments and stared that she received upon entering. She was used to it and had learned to ignore them. There were only a few of those at the camp that she cared for and she was accepted with them, that was all that mattered. They collected some food and found an empty table. The blonde smiled when Bellamy started a conversation with Zion. She was happy to see that her friend was trying to get to know him and didn't automatically shun him only for being a grounder.

_"So how was your day?"_ Octavia hoped that it was as wonderful as her own even if she was a tad anxious that the blonde would be upset over a very small part of it. She decided to wait to bring that up.

Clarke turned to the brunette. _"It was actually great. I spoke with Bell. We went over everything that happened and he told me that he wasn't bothered about Wanheda. Although, he did try to convince me to be safe. I'm lucky that he got over the smothering big brother instincts with you so at least I don't have to worry about him trying to keep me under lock and key. That may only be because he doesn't actually know what I plan to do...you know protecting others which will most likely put me in harms way."_ Octavia smirked and nodded. _"I also met up with Kane. That went surprisingly smooth. I just told him that they needed to figure out a way to integrate with the Trikru at the very least. They need to learn how to thrive on the ground and who better to teach them. He is going to come up with some way to extend an olive branch to them and use advanced healing as a bargaining chip...if he can get my mother on board with that. They can open a hospital to offer services to the clan and teach them some things they don't know how to do already. Also, I convinced him to be more open to the 100. We know more about the ground than they do and we have been through more shit than they could ever know. The ones still here deserve to be treated better than slightly above criminal or as young fools. He agreed and is going to sit with some of them. Figure out if they can help in other areas that they were pushed away from by the adults. He is also planning on adding one or two to the council."_ She was pleased that Kane was so onboard with her suggestions and hoped that he would follow through.  _"What about your day?"_

_"It was wonderful. But before I tell you all about how amazing it was, I just want to remind you that I love you and I am one of your bestest friends."_ Octavia used her best innocent look and pouted for good measure when she saw Clarke narrow her eyes. _"So nothing too crazy happened but in between the morning and night training, I just so happened to run into the good doctor. She tried to get me to admit that you were in need of her healing touch or some such shit. Well...I got a little upset. I told her all about the grounders and the reality of how things are on the ground which most definitely includes spirits, how you are healing already and are happy for the first time since we landed. She went on a tirade about how all grounders were savages and couldn't be trusted, that she knew what was best for you and would convince you that she was right or wait for you to go crawling to her begging to be fixed."_ Octavia cringed at that. She didn't want to make the blonde feel worse about her relationship with her mother but at this point it really didn't seem like Abby was going to accept Clarke as she was. _"Let's just say that I didn't take that well. I gave her a stern talking to about you and the grounders too. I didn't really stick around much after that. Left her standing there with her mouth gaping open."_ She smirked. That was one image she would keep for all time. The moment she shocked the opinionated doctor into silence. Remembering her anxiety of how her friend would take it, she glanced into the blondes eyes.

The blonde threw her head back and was laughing loudly. _"Oh I wish I had seen that!"_

Octavia sighed in relief that Clarke wasn't upset. From the corner of her eye, she noticed that the blondes laugh distracted the men from whatever they were talking about. She easily slipped into English to include her brother. "Yeah it was priceless!" She reached out to grab Clarkes hand. "Amusement aside, I'm sorry. Your mother shouldn't be acting like such a bitch to you about this. I mean, it's your damn life and you know what's best for you...not her. I hope that she gets her head out of her ass soon."

Clarke gave her friend a small smile. "I know O, me too. Now on a different note, I'm feeling a little cramped here what with the staring and all. What do you guys think about getting out of here for a while? Maybe get started on the plan?" She examined her friends faces. Zion looked calm as if he didn't mind if they stayed or left but she could see the relief in his eyes to go. Lincoln was serene with either direction even though running into his people was a source of concern for him what with the kill order and all. Octavia was practically bouncing in her seat as she never was fond of this camp or the people and she felt just as strongly about this plan as Clarke. The blonde curiously looked at Bellamy. He knew and accepted that Clarke wasn't there to stay but she could see the questions and worry in his face about the 'plan'. Clarke ignored the unspoken question as she didn't want to get into an argument about her decision. The first three agreed to heading out but decided to wait until the morning. Bellamy suggested getting their people together again that night so that Clarke could explain that she was leaving for a while and have the chance to say goodbye.

The blonde was happy as she retired for the night. She recalled the gathering of her friends. After explaining her plan to leave for some time and the reasons behind it to several people separately, she decided to get the groups attention and tell them all at once. They were all accepting and glad that this time there was some warning and explanation for her absence. She ended up having a longer talk with a stormy Bellamy and eventually convinced him that this new mission was right and what she wanted to do. Raven had already known about this so they simply talked to get as much time together before their separation. The night was full of jokes, laughter, conversation, good company, and goodbyes. Everything ended on a good note so she decided to simply leave a letter for her mother as a farewell. _No need to spoil a perfectly enjoyable night. Hmm...hopefully things go this smoothly tomorrow._


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Operation Wanheda & Co.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So very sorry for the delay. I lost my muse for this story for a bit but once I read through the entire thing my beautiful muse showed herself again! I know the Clexa reunion is much desired but it's still going to be a little bit till that happens...but not too long. In the next chapter there will be a slight time jump and I'm going to add in a exclusively Lexa perspective part. So I hope that we tide you guys over till they finally meet again.   
> In case you guys didn't see, I found a missing part of the story in the beginning of Chapter 7 (I apparently didn't copy and paste that one section). I added that in. It wasn't terribly important but it makes certain things more understandable.

Clarke woke before the sun lightened the sky. She stretched out her body and simply basked in the comfort she felt. Even with all of the drama Camp Jaha brought her, she was happy to be there if only for a few days. Seeing her friends and witnessing that they were safe and mostly happy was a balm to her soul. Leaving camp was one of the most selfish things that she had done since arriving on the ground and she worried about the wellbeing of her friends even as she suffered through her own despair. She contemplated her life now. Things were so very different yet it seemed so very right. Like something that was always meant to happen. She had learned to take in all the bad that she experienced and form it into an iron will within her. She would do all that she could to make sure there was a lasting and true peace. She was aware that she was only one person who most likely couldn't make everything better but helping as many as she could was worth it.

  
Zion stirred in his sleep and the blonde knew that he would be up soon. She slowly got up and gazed at his sleeping form. She smiled and once again thanked the spirits that she was lucky enough to have met the man and have him in her life. Standing up, the blonde took a deep breath and prepared herself for the day. There wasn't really a clear and direct plan for this. She knew that she wanted to help but there wasn't an alert or communication line open for people in danger. Wandering through the land around villages and listening to the local gossip seemed the best option. She just hoped that it would all become clear once they were on their way. While her companions rested she began to pack their bags. Once everything was in place, the blonde took some time to freshen up making a promise to herself to find a river to take a full bath as soon as possible. She was dressed and armed for the day, she exited the tent and went out to prepare breakfast.

  
Shortly after the meal was done, Lincoln and Zion walked out with a stumbling Octavia following. The blonde chuckled at her friend and the aversion she still held to waking up early. _"Morning. I have our stuff packed Zion so I'll be ready to go as soon as we're done."_ She passed out plates to the three of them before sitting back with her own.

  
_"I packed our things last night so we can leave whenever you are ready."_ Lincoln leaned into Octavia while he ate. He was ready to take on this new mission with Clarke. Even if he didn't simply admire and respect the blonde, he would still follow as she was completely pure in her intentions. He knew that it would most likely be more difficult to accomplish than any of them thought and they would be thrusting themselves into dangerous situations. Either way, he would follow Clarke. She was the one to give his life back to him by turning him back into a man and by saving his love. He witnessed her reach inside herself, gripping her very heart and soul, and holding out the bloody offerings to her people. He watched them gladly accept those gifts, devour them, and hold out their hands for more. Very few of the sky people understood what Clarke gave to them and were thankful for her leadership. Even though he knew that he wouldn't do the same, he swore to always stand by his friend. He would offer love, friendship, support, advice, or whatever else she would need. He also knew that even with everything that he would willingly give her, Clarke would never take advantage of it.

  
Clarke smiled. She was pleased that they would be able to leave soon. This time she wasn't running away but it would still be nice to go without a scene. _"I need to ask Linkon. Are you sure that you want to do this with me? I would love nothing more than to have your company and for you to have my back but what about your people? The kill order is still out on you isn't it?"_ She couldn't help but be worried. She would do all that she could to protect him but she feared that she may not be enough.

  
Lincoln thought about that. He knew his people wouldn't accept him and that caused a pang to run through his chest. There was no regret in the choices he made and if he could do it all again, he would still choose the same path. _"Don't worry for me Klark. I will do all that I can to avoid coming into contact with them."_

  
The blonde nodded, still uneasy. She noticed that Octavia had a worried look as well. Whatever happened though, they would face it together. After the food was gone, Clarke began to clean up while Octavia and Lincoln collected the horses. They would all meet at the gates a few minutes later to begin their journey. Zion collected their packs and the two began the trek to the horses and freedom. Clarke recognized the curly head of hair that was lingering around Octavia and Lincoln. "Hey Bell. Are you here to see us off?"

  
"Of course!" Bellamy looked slightly offended for the blonde to even think that he wouldn't. "I know you guys are off on some grand adventure but don't forget to visit every once in a while." He shook hands with the men and pulled Octavia and Clarke into a bone crushing hug. "Look out for each other please."

  
The girls smiled and hugged him tight. They made sure Bellamy knew that they would stick with each other and stay as safe as they could. Once he was satisfied, he released them from his hold. He handed a radio to Octavia in case of emergencies and made sure he had the letter from Clarke to her mother. He promised to deliver it later in the day. He watched them each mount their horses before he signaled for the gates to be opened. He waved farewell and watched them until they were out of sight. He was nervous for his two sisters going out into the wilds and dealing with what the grounders may throw at them but he know that they would do as they wanted and what they thought to be right. Even though he harbored fear for their wellbeing, he had faith in their abilities to protect themselves and each other.

* * *

  
All was quiet. It had been a week since the four left Camp Jaha. The decision to travel around various villages in the Trikru lands had given them the opportunity to get a feel for how things in the coalition were going. At first, the only one of them to venture into a village was Zion. Lincoln couldn't risk being found by his people and Clarke and Octavia didn't want to be recognized as skaikru. While the three hid out in the woods at their camp, Zion would venture into the village. He would go to the markets or the pubs to chat with the locals and listen in to any tales or gossip. That night he was in a pub, slowly drinking his ale but listening intently to the other people present. He found out that the coalition was still intact however Azgeda was becoming more disrespectful and aggressive to the neighboring clans. The coalition was weak currently as the common enemy was gone and the commander wasn't even the one to destroy it. Many thought her weak and dishonorable for her choice. There were rumors of bandits throughout the Trikru lands that were more concentrated at the borders with Azgeda. There was no proof that it was anything more than a few angry people or anything directly tied to one clan so the most that could be done was to have more warriors at villages that didn't have enough. One area near a village named Alto seemed to have a recent increase in bandit activity. He decided that it was a promising lead that they could look into. On the way back to update his companions on this information, Zion stopped by a stall that sold cloaks, hoods, and jackets. He didn't know Octavia and Lincolns sizes but he selected hoods and cloaks for them as the weather was getting colder each day. He left and began jogging to where the others had set up a small camp.

  
Clarke and Octavia had just returned from a hunt and were cleaning the animal when Zion arrived. He passed his spoils to Lincoln and turned to the blonde. Clarke continued her work while Zion filled her in on the information he gathered. _"So the coalition is good for now but Azgeda wants to start a war. The bandits are most likely the queens warriors. She could order small groups to attack separately but as the force is so small it could easily be blamed on actual bandits or nationalistic fools attacking their long time enemy without the sanction of their queen. Hmm...we will need to keep an eye and ear out for her next moves."_ Clarke narrowed her eyes in thought. She knew enough about Nia to know that she was a terrible leader, always striving to have even more power and control. She was selfish, cruel, and greedy. The blonde wouldn't allow her to terrorize more people but there wasn't much that she could do about it...yet. Her new skill in being patient would be put to the test as she would need to watch Nia's moves to figure out the game that she was playing. It was easy to guess that she was after the coalition, to being the commander; after all, there was no more power to be had than the power of being Heda. But Clarke was not stupid, there would be other plans waiting in the wings, pieces in play, and countermeasures in place. It would be pointless to cut the head off the monster if there were more hidden in the shadows. She shook off thoughts of the tyrant. _"I suppose with that intel, we will be heading out near Alto. How far is it from here?"_

  
_"Not far at all. It would take maybe half a day at the longest if we move slowly."_ Zion answered easily. He had many years to learn the land so it was quite easy to know exactly where they were and where they had to be. The fact that he finally got some interesting information finally was a relief. He knew that they couldn't all just keep moving through the woods looking for trouble. There were simply too many places and too much land to effectively find what they were looking for by chance.

  
Dinner was being cooked over the fire and the girls were washing up to remove the fur and blood covering their hands. _"Okay. Well it's getting dark now so we can pack up and head out to Alto at dawn. We can patrol the area for these so-called bandits and go from there I suppose."_ Clarke sighed. _"I'm sorry guys. Now that we are out here I feel like I didn't plan this out very well. It's actually sort of ridiculous if you think about it. We are looking for those that are in trouble but can't find them. I know that it's happening somewhere but I feel bad that I want to find trouble in the first place."_

  
Octavia snorted in amusement. _"I know what you mean. It's like we don't want people to be in danger but we want to find people in danger at the same time. But it's not like we want it to actually happen...it already is. We just need to find out where it's happening so that we can help. And don't sweat it Klark. We all knew that there was really no planning this out."_

  
_"Okteivia is right. We are on the correct path now so there is no need to worry."_ Lincoln smiled warmly at Clarke.

  
Sighing, Clarke worked to refocus herself. She knew going into this that it would take time and patience to accomplish their goals. She felt her strength and conviction growing again and thought about their plan to be in an area that would undoubtedly already have warriors searching the area for the bandits. Suddenly, a thought struck her. _"We need to be careful to keep our identities a secret. Besides Zion, I don't think that any of the grounders would be happy to see us."_ Lincoln and Octavia reluctantly nodded. _"I was thinking that we could wear our hoods low over our faces. It would allow us to be able to be around the Trikru without them knowing who we are. Although, I still wouldn't feel comfortable being close."_

  
_"That is a good idea as long as no one asks you to remove your hood. If we end up facing the bandits, you could let your wings out. There wouldn't be a single person who would think you were Klark kom Skaikru like that."_ Zion was wary of his companions being found out. They wouldn't receive a warm welcome, especially Lincoln. His idea to have Clarke show her wings while wearing the hood would hide her identity while also being seen. Stories would spread about a winged avenger saving the people from harm. That could work to her advantage in the future as well once the wings are known to be hers.

  
Clarke sat quietly thinking. She knew what Zion was thinking in that moment. Being able to hide her wings as Clarke and show them as an unknown person would keep the two sides of herself a secret for some time. She thought further ahead as well. Once the winged woman is known as a protector of those who were unable to protect themselves was known to be her, more of the grounders would believe that she truly was Klark kom Kru, Wanheda. It was almost like preparing a stage for a play. She needed to make sure all of the pieces were in place to make things easier in the future. They continued to talk and make partial plans while eating. There was really no planning everything out until they knew what they would be facing but it helped them prepare somewhat. As Clarke was already aware: plans don't last long in battle.

* * *

The next morning they quickly broke camp and packed up. They wanted to leave early and move quickly to make it near Alto with enough daylight to begin scouting the area. The journey there was uneventful and passed shortly. They found an ideal location for camp that should be far enough away from any possible warriors that would be scouting near the village. Clarke braided some black cloth into her hair in the attempt to disguise her unique hair color. She wove it in along with the feathers already adorning her hair. Even hidden, the light color was distinctive as it almost seemed to glow from within the shadows under her hood. They set up camp and loosely tied the horses in the trees where they could graze. Each decided that going on foot would be best. It was easier to remain silent and unseen, and they would be able to go up into the trees to hide their presence or aid in an ambush if it came to that.

After a discussion, the group decided to break up into pairs to begin searching the area. Clarke and Zion would head directly towards the village with Zion entering and the blonde circling around the outside. The other two would head further out into the woods. The plan was to listen in on the villagers and any warriors present in the village or beyond its walls while Octavia and Lincoln searched the surrounding area for any physical clues in the form of tracks or camps. It was a loose plan that really didn't account for the many different outcomes that could happen but they needed the intel first. They knew that the whole mission was a shot in the dark but the rumors of what had been happening around this area was the only speck of confirmed brightness that they could see.

Clarke bid farewell to the couple before silently following behind Zion towards Alto. She was anxious about going so near a settlement of grounders. She hadn't seen or heard any since before the mountain. Her reception had been frosty and forced before so she wasn't really sure how they would react if they saw her now. The fear that she may suddenly run into Lexa was very present even though she acknowledged that it was mostly irrational that the commander would be at this small village of all places at the exact same time as her. She hadn't resolved her feelings towards the other woman and being completely honest with herself she wasn't ready to face them head on much less examine them. The blonde shook her head, she was well aware that she couldn't allow herself to get so distracted in this situation. She saw Zion slow his pace and realized that they had reached the outskirts of the village. Per their agreed plans, she split off from him and moved further off to the side to continue through the woods.

She could tell by the view of the village that it was small and simple. There was a very basic wall around the settlement but it looked more like one to keep out animals rather than people. She was surprised to see so few warriors in the village. With the attacks in this area she figured that there would at least be more present to guard and protect the locals. The blonde stared at the people for a long moment. There were small children laughing and shouting while running around an open courtyard sword fighting with some sticks. The younger children were stumbling after some chickens that looked completely harassed by all of the attention. She watched as one, around three years old, ran straight into the legs of an older woman. The woman threw her head back in her laughter while the child giggled. She knew that there were more to the grounders than warriors but to see a peaceful place full of regular people just living their lives and enjoying everyday pleasures made her ache. It was a bittersweet feeling. She was so happy to see that while the culture consisted a lot of war and fighting, there was still hope living on. She also slightly wished that that was or had been her life...even in the sky she never got to play or laugh like that. Everything was so controlled. Children were expected to behave and remain silent, not encouraged to play like these children. It wasn't just the Ark itself that was gray, cold, and lifeless...it was the people who lived there. After another lingering look at the scene, Clarke continued on her wide circuit.

Everything was calm around the village. There didn't seem to be any signs of raiders charging in or fighting at the village directly. She surmised that most of the reported activity occurred in the woods, possibly on the most used pathways to and from the settlement. After making it back to where she left Zion, Clarke found a tree to sit in and easily climbed up before settling in to wait. It gave her a good vantage point to watch the woods and also view the inner workings of village life. She was too far away to hear anything however. Two hours passed quickly in her observations and she saw Zion slowly making his way back towards her. She waited until he passed her perch, silently dropped to the ground, and quickly caught up to him. They continued to walk in silence to their camp.

Octavia and Lincoln were already seated around a large fire with some rabbits turning over the flames. The afternoon meal was passed to Clarke and Zion when they sat before they all began to eat. Their updates on their findings would have to wait until their hunger was satisfied. Zion was the first to finish and the first to relay what he had learned. _"I spoke with some of the villagers in Alto. They claimed that for the past several weeks there have been reports of bandits in the area. The bandits have been targeting smaller villages with little to no warriors but that is where the similarities end. Some simply steal, some kill any who get in the way or try to stop them, and some have been torturing and violating the men and women in the village regardless of whether they steal or not."_ The man paused with disgust. _"Apparently in the past one to two weeks, this area has been getting attacked more often but the reason is unclear. The bandits tend to rob and attack those traveling around this area without venturing to the village itself."_

_"It seems like they would have gone after the village. They have plenty of supplies and they are not well guarded. I only saw a handful of warriors or guards with only a small fence around the settlement."_ Clarke shook her head trying to figure it out. _"The different types of activity most likely mean that there are several different groups of bandits. It appears that there main goal isn't to steal supplies but rather simply to harm and frighten the people. If this is Nia's plan, which I don't doubt for a second, it's to chip away at the morale of the Trikru slowly and in small enough attacks to not be noticed or be blamed on any one clan."_

Lincoln nodded. _I believe you are right._ _"_ He could see where Clarke was going with the idea. Having attacks like these on the common people rather than on the warriors that knowingly accepted a violent life was heartbreaking. The Trikru cared deeply for their people and did all that they could to protect those not made for battle. Watching as their charges are slowly ravaged by an enemy would feel like a weight pressed on their chests, getting increasingly heavier with each life lost. _"Okteivia and I found evidence of a large group or groups moving throughout the area. Possibly around eight people. They seem to stick to cover but move towards open areas that would most likely have travelers passing through. The most recent tracks we found were no more than a day old so I could assume that they are still probably in the area waiting for the next target."_

Thoughts and ideas about their task swirled in each persons mind. The locals knowledge and the physical evidence in the area showed that this was valid. It was exactly where they needed to be in order to start their plans in protecting the people. Having things finally coming to fruition breathed new life into each of them. They felt the determination to succeed seep into their bones and each straightened up while thinking on the new information. Plans began to form in their minds.

Octavia was sitting close to the warmth of the fire. She was excited yet nervous to get involved in stopping the attacks happening. Being able to help people who are not able to defend themselves was something that resonated with her. She remembered when they first landed and she was helpless. Watching Jasper being speared and several of the others disappearing and being slaughtered while none of them could do anything was what made her want to learn to fight. Now, she could use the skills she learned to help those who needed it. _"I think our best bet is to stay near the areas the bandits have been targeting. We can hide and wait for them to show themselves."_

_"Some of the villagers told me that they were expecting some traders from nearby villages soon. Most likely tomorrow."_ Zion offered. He had gathering much news and gossip in the days that he was integrated into the small settlements they traveled around. He was glad to put at least some of that gossip to good use.

Clarke nodded in agreement. She approved of the start of this plan and was extremely happy that someone else offered it. It helped reassure her that they were just as invested in this as she was. She knew that she was thought of as a leader but that was in the past. Her companions saw her as just Clarke and were with her as friends. They all came together to work towards a goal that they all held dear.

Lincoln was happy with the plan as well. _"Do we know when route they will be taking?"_

_"Yes. The traders in Alto were very talkative about it. Apparently having the other traders come is a new and much desired event. With the threat of the mountain gone, these people have the freedom to travel."_ Zion looked to the blonde briefly, he didn't think the topic of Mount Weather would cause her much pain now but he wasn't positive that all of the negative feelings were gone yet. There wasn't so much as a twitch from Clarke. _"Since there is still light, I can show you the way the traders will be taking."_

After reaching an agreement to scout the area so that they would be prepared for the next day, they cleaned up the area and began to leave. Clarke reminded Lincoln and Octavia to wear their hoods as they were still relatively close to the village. She took a moment to take her own advice and raised her hood, covering her bright locks. They glided through the slowly darkening woods while staying slightly behind Zion. The woods were silent save for the birds, rabbits, and various other wildlife. A short time passed before Zion slowed. The area looked much like the woods that they had already traveled through, however it was more open. The trees were spaced further apart giving them a large view of the cloudy sky. Without the evidence of frequent foot traffic, this slice of the wilderness would have been unremarkable. Although the central area was open, the path was boxed in by thick trees and foliage. While it would provide perfect places to lie in wait and remain unnoticed for them, it also gave plenty of hiding spots for bandits. They observed the area for some time and noticed that not one person passed through. Apparently the new option to travel between settlements safely was not wildly believed or popular. The recent bandit attacks may have also discouraged many.

The four companions looked to each other and headed back the way they came. Having traveled together for some time, they had already developed a silent communication between them. They could easily read each other in their bodies alone and when spread out they communicated with different sounds that would fit seamlessly into the natural sounds of the woods. It was simple to read the questions in their eyes or the intentions in their bodies so words were almost pointless. This was especially beneficial when hunting for food and would almost certainly be just as effective when hunting the bandits.

Clarke took up the rear position and intently watched her surroundings on the way back to camp. Her steps were completely silent and her gliding footsteps disturbed nothing on the ground. She left no trace behind. The blonde suddenly halted at the soft sound of something brushing against some leaves. Her body remained still while her sharp eyes looked around and pinpointed where the noise originated from. With inhuman speed, Clarke pulled her bow from her back, drew an arrow from the quiver attached to her hip, took aim, and released. The others spun quickly at the sound of the bow string snapping, hands reaching towards their weapons. Clarke smirked and disappeared into the trees. She easily found the large brown and white colored bird that was pierced with her arrow. The bird would be great for dinner and the feathers were always useful.

Though the three that were left behind knew there wasn't danger after seeing the blondes smirk and hearing the complete silence since her departure, they didn't relax until Clarke emerged from the trees. Octavia rolled her eyes at the slightly smug look on the blondes face. They had friendly competition going to see who was the better hunter. They determined their hunting prowess by the animal size and type, arrow location, and environment that the kill took place in. Clarke showed off the perfect kill shot subtly. The brunette huffed and spun on her heel to lead the way back to their tents.

Entering the camp, Clarke began cleaning the bird while the others prepared a fire. Octavia pulled out a skin and took a long drink while sitting in front of the slowly growing flames. She grimaced slightly and passed the skin to the blonde. Knowing that it most definitely wasn't water, Clarke took a slow drink. She was used to Monty's moonshine and enjoyed the burn. She smiled while thinking of her friend and passed the drink on to Zion. They all took in the peace of the moment. They had a fire to warm them on the outside and moonshine to warm them from the inside. Wonderful company and a paint splashed sky showing an amazingly beautiful sunset. The silence was easy and comfortable.

Clarke suddenly starting laughing. Octavia looked over to her friend with a furrowed brow. _"What's so funny?"_

_"Sorry. It's just... Did you think that we would end up here when we first landed? More grounder than sky person. Hunting our food and setting up camp like it's the easiest thing in the world."_ Clarke giggled again thinking about how hopeless they were in the beginning.

Octavia smirked. _"No definitely not. Between running from shadows, people disappearing in the woods, and getting eaten by huge ass river snakes, I didn't think we'd even still be alive."_

The blonde shook her head. She vividly remembered the day of the river snake. The terror of it and how no one seemed to take anything seriously before and even sometimes after it. _"Yeah that snake was the first wake up call closely followed by the spear."_ She thought back to her own horrible yet somehow funny in hindsight experiences. _"You had your snake and I had a terrifying general slather me in mud that I'm certain had the liquefied remains of a dead animal in it before she tried to take me prisoner."_

A laugh bubbled up in Octavia's throat. She would have loved to see that. Especially how Clarke somehow beat Anya in a fight and ended up taking her as prisoner. The brunette frowned. _"What ever happened to her? I don't remember seeing her during the war."_ She thought back and didn't remember seeing her after the battle at the dropship.

_"I'm not sure. When we made it to Camp Jaha she was shot in the stomach but thankfully it missed all of her major organs. I had time to stuff moss into the wound and I wrapped it up with her shirt so she didn't bleed out but I was taken by the guards before I could do any more. I went back out later and she wasn't there anymore. At the time, I assumed that she lived and spoke with Heda like we agreed to. From what I understand, making an alliance with invaders isn't something that would normally happen no matter what we had to offer so Onya must have talked to her. When I asked Heda about her later, all she would say was that she was alive. With everything else that was going on I didn't really think about it too much."_ Clarke shook her head. She felt bad about it now. The general was shot by her own people and she wasn't sure what became of her. She assumed that she was fine since Lexa confirmed she was still alive. The blonde figured that since it was less than two weeks from the day she was shot till the battle at Mount Weather, it would make sense that Anya wasn't fit enough to play a role in the war. Her injuries would have been severe and no matter how tough and pain resistant the grounders were, she wouldn't have been able to do much in the way of fighting. Considering Anya was once Lexa's first, Lexa would most likely pull rank to ensure that the general would rest to overcome her nearly fatal gunshot wound. No matter how much Lexa played the part of not caring and sticking to her ridiculous ideology of 'love is weakness', Clarke knew that she cared deeply.

Octavia hummed. _"Yeah I'm sure she's fine. I have no doubt we will run into her in all of her terrifying glory at some point. We are in her territory after all."_

Lincoln frowned in disapproval. _"She is not terrifying. She is simply a strong and fierce general."_

Clarke and Octavia shared a long look before they both burst out into laughter. _"Sure sure. Her and her aggressive cheekbones are totally not scary."_ Octavia managed to get a sarcastic comment in between her giggles. _"I bet the only person that could hold their own against her would be Reivon. Can you imagine that conversation? Reivon would be a sass queen with a crown of sarcasm and Onya would be twitching her sword hand the whole time."_ The brunette smirked at the renewed chuckles coming from Clarke.

_"I would love to be witness to that exchange."_ Zion smiled.

The blonde whipped her head around. _"Wait you know Onya?"_

The man sighed. _"I don't know her personally but I've observed her. What did you think I did with my time waiting for Wanheda to choose another soul. She doesn't do it very often and I have to do something with my time. Sometimes I would live in a village for a time. Other times I would wander the woods and watch the progression of the clans. It helps satisfy my love of history to witness the changes of the culture."_ Zion chuckled at the bashful look on the blondes face. _"So I know of her. I've seen how she acts with her seconds, with her army, and with the villagers. I think both Onya and Reivon would meet their match with each other."_

_"Hmm...shall we orchestrate a meeting simply for our entertainment?"_ Clarke giggled at the mental picture of the two women butting heads.

Amusement was shining in all of their eyes. _"I think we should."_ Lincoln smirked at the disbelieving look the two women were shooting him. _"Of course if either asks we can simply say that two women of such intelligence, cunning, and importance should meet."_

_"I like the way you think Link."_ Clarke was impressed. She figured that Lincoln would stick to defending Anya but it seemed that he would enjoy the showdown of the general and the mechanic as much as the two women.

The four of them lapsed back in silence. Clarke put the bird she already cleaned over the fire and they shared the rest of the moonshine while waiting for it to cook. Once done, they all ate and prepared for bed. They had much to do the next day and wanted to get as much rest as possible. The last thought on their minds was to hope all went well the next day.

* * *

The next morning was noticeable colder. There was a frost on the ground that would most likely melt once the sun fully rose. The sky was cloudy and still mostly dark when the four woke. They ate the rest of the bird from the night before in silence. Each was mentally preparing for the day. There was no way to know exactly how the day would pan out. Laying in wait for the bandits was the only sure thing. Whether or not they would be there was anyone's guess. After the meal, they split off to their shared tents to gear up.

Clarke entered her tent and took a deep calming breath. She was beginning to feel nervous. Plans and preparation were her forte and going into this almost completely blind was difficult for her. She took a moment to remind herself why this was important and that past experience showed her that plans don't really hold anyways. Once her mind was set with determination, she began strapping on her weapons. She had her swords on her back, assassin knives hidden, the small daggers in her chest bindings and braided into her hair, the daggers on her thighs, and the whip around her waist. Before she left the bunker she also collected a long curved blade that she could secure to her lower back and various other knives of different lengths that she could attach all over her body. She added those as well and paused on her bow. Deciding to bring that as well, she put the bow on her back and added the quiver to her hip in such a way that the whip wasn't blocked. Having all of those weapons may have been overkill but she wasn't sure what they would be walking into and she wanted to ensure that she was prepared.

When the blonde exited the tent, Zion entered to gather his weapons. Octavia and Lincoln were ready and waiting. The brunettes eyes widened. _"Damn Klark. You look like you are armed to go to war not to stop a few raiders."_

_"I would rather be ready for anything. We have no idea how many we are going to face or what they will be capable of."_ Clarke was firm in her belief. She wouldn't let herself walk into any situation unprepared again. Plenty of experiences have taught her that. She thought back to when Anya captured her to heal Tris and her confrontation with Quint. Neither instance did she have a weapon that was useful. She wouldn't allow that to happen to her again.

Lincoln stepped closer to Clarke. He agreed with her stance on being prepared but he was unsure on how much they were preparing for. _"It's best to be ready for anything. But I did have a question for you."_ He waited until the blonde nodded for him to continue. _"How far are we going to take this? I understand our purpose is to stop the raiders and protect those that will be targeted but what are we going to do with the bandits?"_

_"Considering that the village is aware that there will be traders going through the woods and that they know the bandits have been active in this area, I assume that they will be sending some of their guards to ensure the traders make it through. We will assist in protecting them and can allow the village to decide on what to do with them."_ Clarke knew where this could lead and hardened her features. _"If it comes down to it, we will need to end the threat. I will not have these bandits live in freedom to terrorize more people. If we only protect the traders while the bandits escape, they will continue with their ways. That would defeat the entire purpose of us doing this. We will save a few today but may lose many more if the bandits are allowed to continue."_

The man nodded and felt his respect grow for the blonde. He knew that Clarke wouldn't want to take a life again but she had come to understand that it may be necessary and that she could handle the consequences it would have on her. He could tell that while she wouldn't take pleasure in killing, she would do so to protect the people. The blonde had already given her soul to save her people and she would have no qualms about doing so again. The difference now was that she has accepted that everyone was her people. Whether they knew it or not or whether they wanted it to be so. He saw Octavia's eyes harden with resolve to do the same.

Once Zion was ready, they began their trek to the area they scouted the day before. It was still very early so they were confident that they had plenty of time to find a good spot to wait. Each had their weapons, food, and water. There was no telling how long they would need to wait for the traders to pass and the bandits to show themselves. They continued in silence and reached the outskirts of the open area in the woods. Each split off into different directions to set up a post for lookout. They were far enough away from each other to offer a wider view of the area while still being close enough to come together in the event of a fight.

Clarke decided to take to the trees. She found that it was easier to climb now and found a comfortable spot. Remembering the plan, Clarke brought her wings into the physical world and checked to make sure her hood was up and shadowed her face. From her vantage point she could see the others. Octavia took to the trees as well while Zion and Lincoln stayed on the ground but hidden within the thick foliage. Time seemed to pass slowly for the blonde. She kept an eye on her surroundings constantly even while the sun continued moving across the sky. The four occasionally let out a whistle that would blend in with the wilderness to check in with each other. Other than that, all was quiet.

Around midday, Lincoln let out a sharper whistle. The caravan of traders was spotted and coming closer. There were four large wagons full of goods but covered under a large skin to protect the wares from the weather. Each wagon had two drivers and there were two others on horseback, one leading the way and one bringing up the rear. None of them looked to be trained warriors but at least had one visible weapon each. The caravan continued at a slow pace and passed through the clearing. Nothing happened. There were no bandits present. Clarke sighed and decided they should follow. There was still a ways until they reached the village and she wanted to ensure that they made it. She let out a whistle to get the attention of her companions and signaled to follow. The two men followed from the ground while the women silently jumped from tree to tree. There was no attack as they went and the blonde was oddly disappointed. She didn't want the people to be attacked but it seemed as if trouble was purposely steering clear of her group.

The four figured that this was a bust but continued their silent escort to the traders. Slowly the village came into sight. They were still within the woods but already the villagers could see the trading caravan rolling closer. Several people began coming towards the entrance to greet their neighbors. The blonde was preparing to head back into the woods so she could get back to camp unseen. As she turned, her sharp hearing picked up a sound that didn't belong. She paused to listen harder. It was footsteps and not those of her companions. These were heavier than their light gaits and these were many more than the four of them. Clarke whistled sharply and pointed in the direction of the sound to her friends. She didn't think it was the bandits. Having them attack so close to a village seemed unbelievably stupid. Especially when they had been completely isolated within the woods. Taking no chances, she waited while the caravan continued on. They were getting closer to escaping the cover of the woods.

Suddenly the footsteps grew louder and faster. The people were running towards them. With the increased sound, Octavia and Lincoln could hear what her and Zion already detected. She spotted the head of the group coming towards her through the trees. She knew that they didn't see her, their eyes were focused solely on the caravan. Any thoughts that these weren't the bandits were cleared from their minds when they saw the savage looks on the groups faces and the raised weapons. She counted ten bandits in the group but was unsure about any that may be hiding in the woods. As they grew closer, the caravan finally noticed the people running after them. The group raised a war cry once they knew they were spotted. Clarke noticed that the traders grabbed for their weapons and further, she saw that the village noticed something was wrong as they began to run towards the impending attack. The blonde whistled again and dropped out of her perch. She landed between the bandits and the caravan. She pulled her dual swords and held them in position. Her wings were flared high in aggression and she bared her sharp teeth while letting loose a frightening growl.

There were four at the head of the group and they faltered at the sight of the blonde. They heard the rest of the group being surrounded and shook off their fright. No matter how terrifying the winged woman looked, there was four of them and they knew they could easily take her down. Letting out a loud cry, they charged as one towards the small woman. The first to reach her was beheaded in an instant. He didn't even have the chance to strike out. The other three felt their blood run cold. Up close, they could see more of the woman's face even though it was still shrouded beneath the hood she wore. They could see the burning blue eyes but those very eyes were hardened with the promise of death. The woman's face was completely empty of everything except an icy indifference as if she wouldn't care if they died by her blade. While a warrior would feel pride in their victory, this woman looked as though the lives that she would take were meaningless and not worth her notice. To add to the already horrifying image, her left sword was still dripping with the blood of their companion.

Clarke could see the terror in these men's eyes. Going into this, she wanted to subdue these bandits and hand them over to the villagers to face their punishment but as soon as they charged at her she knew that wasn't an option. She could see their intentions plainly. They would fight to the death to take what they wanted and they wouldn't allow anything to stop them. She knew exactly how this was going to go and cutting off the first mans head was the proof. The other three that came at her paused after the first died. She saw the realization dawn within their eyes that she was a force they were not prepared for. Taking advantage of the slight pause, she attacked. These men obviously weren't trained well. Clarke swung both swords and twirled around their sloppy strikes. The next man died with a sword through the heart while the other sword sliced the throat of his companion. That left one more. He tried to block the powerful swings of the blondes sword but she easily overpowered him and knocked him in the head with the hilt of her sword. She wanted to keep this one alive for the villagers. Clarke glanced around and saw that the rest of the bandits were either dead or incapacitated. Her friends were bloody but fine. _"Check the woods to make sure we got them all."_ She watched Octavia slip into the trees.

She turned on her heel to face the caravan. While the fight occurred, some of the armed villagers came out to protect the traders. They stood in silence and stared at her uneasily. _"You are safe now. My friend is searching the woods to make sure there are no other bandits here to harm you._   _Some of them are still alive. You may decide whether you want to take them to give them a punishment yourselves or I can end their fights now."_

_"Thank you for the protection. But why did you help us?"_ One of the single riders that accompanied the traders asked. He continued to glance at her wings when he wasn't trying to figure out who was beneath the hood.

Clarke paused at that. She could understand why he would ask that but at the same time why wouldn't she help? The ground was harsh but she knew that those within a clan are very loyal and protective of each other. _"I heard rumors that there were bandits attacking the Trikru and I couldn't let that stand. I am but one person with my three companions but we have taken it upon ourselves to protect those that we can from those who do not care for life. We may not be able to stop all of the terrible things that are happening but we decided to try our best to save as many as we can."_ The blonde decided that was enough on that topic. She didn't want too many questions on the why. Although it was unlikely that they may guess who she is, she didn't want to take that chance. _"What would you like to do with the surviving bandits?"_

Some from the village stepped forward. They held respect but also caution in their eyes. _"We don't know who you are but thank you. The bandits will be punished in Alto. They have been terrorizing and murdering our people and deserve death by a thousand cuts!"_ The people roared out their approval.

Zion and Lincoln walked up with the unconscious bandits. There were a total of three that survived and they were brought forward to the villagers. Rope was tied around their wrists and they were hoisted up onto the backs of the horses. Octavia returned to Clarkes side. _"There were four hiding within the trees. They have been dealt with."_

_"Good. The villagers will deal out the punishment on the rest."_ Clarke was pleased. Even though things didn't go the way they planned, they succeeded in stopping the bandits, ending this threat, and none of them were harmed.

The villages and traders stepped forward. _"What can we do to repay you for this?"_

_"There is nothing to repay. We are simply happy that you are all safe. Please take care when traveling, we have heard tell that there are several groups of bandits attacking Trikru. We will do all we can to help stop the threat but there is only so much that we can do."_ The blonde wanted nothing from these people and she knew her friends felt the same. The satisfaction of protecting them was enough.

Looks of awe and appreciation shone out of the peoples eyes. They were wary that this winged woman would demand some type of payment for her services but they could see that the group that protected them sincerely wanted nothing. _"Thank you, all of you."_ They glanced at the bodies of the bandits and saw how well equipped they were. If they had fought against them, they knew that there would have been many casualties. _"We will burn the bodies with the others."_

Clarke and her friends nodded and offered to help move the bodies to where they would be burned. Including the ones in the trees, there were eleven dead bandits. None present felt any remorse for the loss of these lives. The bandits cared not for the harm that they caused and it was a relief that there were less people like that in the world. While working with the traders, Clarke was told of more raiders close by near a settlement called Brant. Once all of the bodies were moved to where the villagers directed, the four companions bid them farewell and disappeared within the trees. They traveled to their camp and collected a change of clothes, soap, and towels before heading to the nearest river. Their clothes and bodies were covered in blood and they desperately needed to cleanse themselves. Each person walked in silence. They needed a moment to assess the events that occurred. A group of bandits had been neutralized, a village was protected, lives were taken, success in their mission. There was no doubt going to be tales told of what happened and it would slowly spread out. That was both good and bad news. Bad when they ended up targeted by their enemies. Good that people would know what they were doing, protecting the people. Only time would tell what other consequences would arise.

They arrived at the river and continued in silence. The soiled clothes were dropped at the edge of the water to be cleaned once the bathing was done. Clarke and Octavia released their braids and the blonde removed the feathers and cloth from her hair, placing them near her towel. Each dunked beneath the water and began to scrub the dried blood away. The water was cold but it helped soothe their bodies and refresh their minds. After taking enough time to cleanse away the filth, they moved onto their clothes. Each emerged from the river, dried off, and got dressed. They headed back towards camp and hunted along the way. Several rabbits were collected along with various fresh herbs. A nice thick stew would be a soothing and fulfilling way to end the day.

Arriving back at their camp, each split off to prepare the camp and the food and setting up the wet clothing to dry. Once the fire was roaring and a pot full of cooking stew was set, they relaxed. It had been a long day and the intense adrenaline burned away to lethargy yet no one slept. They simply rejoiced in the camaraderie they found in each other.

_"So. Today went well."_ Octavia decided to break up the silence once the food was done. She felt satisfied after the day. Being able to protect people and having all of them come away from the fight unscathed was an amazing feeling. She knew that they may not end up being quite so lucky every time however so she wanted to bask in their success.

Clarke smiled. _"Yes it did. Not only was no one hurt with either us or the villagers, they also gave us our next destination. And it's not too far from here either."_ She looked to her friends in pride. _"You guys did great today. Thank you for having my back."_

Octavia scoffed. _"Yeah we did great. Did you ever doubt that the four of us would be anything less than amazing?"_

_"We are all well equipped to handle ourselves and we work very well together. But don't let your pride get in the way Okteivia. If you do, even an easy fight may be lost."_ Lincoln cautioned his partner. He knew that her bravado wasn't completely serious but he didn't want her to get overconfident and end up hurt because of it. A lesson he had been taught was that one mustn't allow pride to cloud one's vision, success could only happen with the ability to see the opponent clearly.

The brunette understood. She often let her pride get the better of her but recently she had learned to overcome that weakness. It was one of the many things that she observed in Clarke: while the blonde knew that she was a formidable warrior, she never let that stop her from thinking that she was the best or that she would always win. Seeing the blonde be humble was just one example of something that the brunette learned from her. " _I know Link."_ She turned to Clarke. _"Do you want to head over to the other village tomorrow? We can do the same there: scouting and gathering intel."_

_"I think that's a good idea. Maybe we'll get lucky with each new place leading us on to the next."_

Everyone agreed to the plan and decided to head out the next morning. They spent the rest of the evening together in front of the fire. The night was filled with their easy conversation, teasing, and laughter. Being on the ground and amongst the chaos allowed them to fully appreciate and revel in the simple pleasures of spending time together. They continued on until well past dark before turning in for the night. The next day they would repeat the process that they used in Alto and they each hoped it would be just as simple to take care of.


	11. Chapter 11

  
_It's time to get up._ Clarke thought with a groan. Being completely honest with herself, she needed a vacation. It had been almost two months since the first battle outside of Alto and she really wanted to take a small break but unfortunately the last village had pointed them to yet another place being ravaged by bandits. Including Alto, Clarke and her friends had dealt with exactly eighteen groups of raiders. They had been lucky that each group numbered no more than fourteen and were easily handled by the four of them. On a few occasions, they had help from whatever warriors happened to be in the area at the time. There were never any serious injuries and they had been able to save every person that was targeted. It was rewarding work but she knew that they wouldn't be able to keep up this pace for much longer. If it weren't for the fact that this particular group they were now after were the most brutal, she would have made them all hide in the woods where no one could find them. At least for a little while.

 

She thought about the past two months while she burrowed further under her furs. Each settlement was beyond grateful for what her and her friends did for them. After about a month, the people didn't seem so surprised to be on the other side of their protection. Word had spread that there was an unnamed winged woman with her three avenging friends roaming the land and vanquishing evil. Clarke had laughed the first time she heard it. It reminded her of old world comic books filled with vigilantes fighting for the people against tyranny. She smirked.  _Raven would love to hear that name being placed on her friends._ She supposed that in a way they could be called that. With more people knowing about them, the people were more than willing to point them to the next location that needed help. So they had been traveling constantly to new battles and leaving again immediately after. She honestly didn't think there would be quite so many groups of bandits or that they would keep attacking people when they knew that their fellows were dying. The bandits were well aware that she and her friends were attacking them as they seemed to be more cautious and better armed but they never stopped. Of course, being that there were only four of them against an unknown number of bandits, they most likely assumed Clarke and company would be defeated at some point.

 

A shuffling on the other side of the tent pulled the blonde from her thoughts. She peeked her head out from beneath her furs to see Zion getting up. Grumbling at his 'good morning', she ducked back under. She sighed when she realized that she couldn't hide forever and threw the furs off of her. The air was frigid but to her it only felt cool. With her changed body, the cold didn't affect her as it should. She could easily wear her light jacket in a snowstorm and not feel it. The heavy furs on her bedroll were only for comfort. She liked the feeling of the soft fur brushing against her skin.

 

Clarke rolled over and started to push herself up before a wave of dizziness hit her. _Damn it!_ Although she had gotten used to having to feed from Zion, she hated that her need for blood was so necessary. The blonde looked over to Zion with a pout.

 

He chuckled at her grumpy expression. He knew what she needed and found her overall unhappy mood so early in the morning humorous. Walking over to the blondes bedroll, he sat near her head and held out his arm. Clarke reached out and brought his wrist to her mouth before sinking her sharp canines in and drinking her fill. She pricked her finger and rubbed her silver blood into the wounds to heal them faster. _"There now. Do you feel better?"_  


 

  
_"Yes. Thank you."_ The blonde did feel some of her annoyance with the day fade away. She chalked up most of the unpleasant morning to being hungry and easily pushed herself up. Once she was dressed, she headed outside with Zion where she could smell breakfast cooking. She felt a flash of surprise that Octavia would be up so early until she saw it was only Lincoln. Somehow even with waking at dawn or earlier every morning, the brunette still had trouble getting up. _"Good morning Linkon. Did you let her sleep in today?"_  


 

Lincoln glanced up from the fire where he was preparing the morning meal and smiled softly. _"Morning Klark. Yes, I thought it would be best. We have another long day today and I fear that this may be more difficult than our previous encounters so she will need her rest."_  


 

Nodding, Clarke sat by the fire. She stared into the flames and got lost in thought about the stories she heard regarding the bandits in this area. Octavia groaning and stumbling over snapped her out of it. Holding in a laugh, as she knew it would only make her friend more irritable, Clarke greeted the brunette. The only response she received was a grunt.

 

They remained in silence as they ate, all too lost within their own minds to carry a conversation. Once finished they settled into their seats further. Lincoln and Octavia sat close together, both clothed in heavy jackets, thick pants, and fur lined boots. The weather, while it didn't affect Zion or Clarke, was bitter cold to them. There was several inches of snow already on the ground and they knew that soon there would be even more.

 

Zion started up the first conversation of the morning. _"I assume that we will be following the same plan today?"_  


 

  
_"We already scouted out the area so all we need to do is be there and wait."_ Clarke was sure even though they had done this many times that this one was different.

 

Apparently Octavia agreed with her. _"Yeah but you know that this one is different. We've all heard the stories. The bandits in this area are the worst that we've heard of. They don't ever actually steal anything except peoples lives and they get off on torturing the men while raping the women and children. These people have something really fucking wrong with them. And they have gone up against fully trained warriors and have completely destroyed them."_ She shook her head in disgust. How these bandits could do those things to innocent people was beyond her. She was happy that they would be fighting them but she was also nervous that it might be more than the four of them could handle.

 

Lincoln reached out for her hand. _"These raiders are savage, that's true. Don't think about what they have done however. It may cause you to let your emotions overcome you during battle. Just think of them like any other enemy that you have faced. We will just need to watch out for each other and be sure that we aware of our surroundings. As long as we do that we will all be fine."_ He was firm. If they had even a moment of doubt, it could show a weakness that could easily be taken advantage of.

 

  
_"Just be on guard. Even though the plan is the same that we've used successfully before doesn't mean that it will always work."_ Clarke paused. She had a feeling about this one and it didn't even have anything to do with the stories they had heard about these bandits. _"Something just doesn't feel right. So please be careful. All of you."_  


 

Octavia looked more closely at the blonde. There was clearly something bothering her. Her eyes screamed with uncertainty and caution. Octavia wasn't sure how to take that. The blonde always exuded a calm confidence but for some reason, known only to Clarke, she was lacking that unshakable faith. _"What do you mean something doesn't feel right this time?"_  


 

A brief look of shock graced Clarkes face. It shouldn't have surprised her that the brunette picked up on her mood. After the many weeks they had spent in such close proximity, even her closely guarded emotions were easy for the others to read. Clarke was unsure of how to answer the brunettes question however. There had been instances in the past few weeks where she felt something not quite right. It felt like a disturbance in the air. She hadn't looked too far into it as every other time it happened, it seemed to be for no reason. Despite the wrongness she felt, every event that followed after the feeling went smoothly. There was something about that day though that she couldn't shake. _"I don't really know how to describe it. Lately I've been getting these...feelings I guess you could call them."_ She huffed in frustration. It was more difficult for her to translate those feelings into words that someone else could understand. _"It's like a wave that hits me or almost like electricity running through the air. I get bombarded suddenly. It feels wrong, kind of slimy and somehow violent."_  


 

A sharp look was thrown her way by Zion. _"You've felt this before?"_ He watched Clarke nod. _"You must tell me when these things happen. I am here to guide you as both Klark and Wanheda. Many things that you have and will experience, I have seen before. I can help you understand what is happening and assist you on handling it. Of course there will be many things that will be new to the both of us since you are different. Remember the prophecy from the wood witch I encountered. She made it clear that you are more tightly bound with Wanheda and the spirit realm than is normal. This is undoubtedly going to manifest uniquely with you. Now, back to this feeling. Does it feel like it uncomfortably coats your skin and seem oily against your mind? Can you also see it? Is it almost like the very air is disturbed?"_  


 

  
_"I'm sorry Zion."_ Clarke reached out to grab the mans hand. _"I should have spoken to you about this. Although it's not an excuse, I'm used to having to deal with my issues on my own. I realize that that is completely stupid though. You guys have been there for me through thick and thin and I know that I can always rely on your help. I suppose I simply need to get used to asking for that help."_ She smiled when he squeezed her hand in support and understanding. _"When I get this feeling it's near stifling. It feels like it invades my pores and seeps into my body while also clinging to my skin. I can't think of something to compare it to but it's unsavory and I feel as though I need to scrub myself clean. The same happens in my mind. It's like some oozing substance is trying to worm itself into my thoughts. I've noticed the vibrations in the air as you described. It is never all around but comes from a particular direction."_  


 

_"Hmm. Have you noticed if the direction can be pinpointed to anything in particular?"_

 

Clarke thought about that. Seeing as how she practically ignored it as it happened she needed to recall exactly what happened. The blonde gasped. _"It has always been in the direction of the bandits. If it had only happened two or three times I would have never made the connection but the ten or so times it has happened all led back to the group of bandits. I don't understand though. Why is this happening? What's the point?"_  


 

Zion had to ponder that. He often found in frustrating that he could only speak with Wanheda in her spirit form, unattached to a soul. Not counting the short time when the merging of soul and spirit happened. Having one who interacted directly with and was of the spirit realm would make things simpler. He scoffed internally as he thought that his need to converse with a spirit for answers only occurred after he met Clarke. Although the events that happened over the years was widely different, the matters concerning the spirit was always the same. For now he had to rely solely on his experience and intuition until such time as he found another wood witch if one even existed. _"Well, there are two options that I can think of just based on what I know. One could be that your sense of smell has been elevated even more to the point that you can smell the emotions of the bandits even from a great distance. The other would be linked to your close ties with the spirit realm and is pure speculation on my part. It could be that you are sensing a disturbance that is occurring within the physical realm. When there is an imbalance in this realm, such as evil actions being done, that causes agitation within the spirit realm. With your strong connection you may be picking up on that."_ He noticed the extremely doubtful look on the blondes face. _"Think of it like when you had the shadows surrounding your back at the skaikru camp. We have ruled out that anger somehow partially pulled your wings forward. You have felt anger since that time without the same thing occurring. With your anger at the camp, you caused a disturbance and pulled a part of the spirit realm here. This may be similar but only you can sense it."_  


 

  
_"Okay assuming that is true, what's the point of it?"_ Clarke had learned to not disregard something out of turn for no reason other than not believing in it. She had discovered that just because she didn't believe in something didn't make it not exist. Having moments of doubt before analyzing the new information was her compromise.

 

The somber mood was interrupted by a wide smile erupting across Zions face. _"Why for you to be our supernatural bloodhound of course. Just think. We no longer have to get pointed in the right direction by the villagers anymore."_ He laughed loudly at the disbelieving look on the blondes face. Octavia and Lincoln couldn't contain their own chuckles at his statement.

 

  
_"Yeah yeah. Laugh it up. I'll make sure to direct you to a cave full of hibernating bears next and I'll stick around to make sure they wake up extra grumpy."_ Clarke smiled grudgingly. It was refreshing to have a moment of simple happiness before they were heading into another battle. They took a moment to discuss the plan once more and came up with a few countermeasures in case this confrontation ended up being more difficult than usual as the blonde feared.  


* * *

  
The clearing and surrounding woods were silent. They had been directed to an unassuming patch of the woods that apparently had frequent travelers so was it was a prime area for bandits to target. Each of Clarkes party was ready, all had their hoods up to disguise their faces and the blonde had her wings visible. Clarke and Octavia still preferred to stick to the trees. It gave them a better perspective on the area with the added benefit of a height advantage. The women enjoyed being able to silently drop down into the bandits midst. In most cases, they were always surprised. Clarke didn't quite understand how not one group had ever spotted them before but she supposed that they were so used to taking their victims off-guard and overwhelming them that they didn't think to look up. Even Zion and Lincoln on the ground were never discovered. The blonde didn't know whether the fact that they were constantly overlooked was a testament to their supreme stealth or evidence of the carelessness and arrogance of the bandits. Whatever the case, it had always worked in their benefit so she wasn't complaining.

 

Clarke let out a whistle. Due to the feeling that today may not go as smoothly as normal, the four of them had split up even more. Each were hidden more fully so they didn't have each other in sight. A return whistle from each was relieving to all of them. They had adopted a different whistle from each other that could easily be mistaken as a natural sound but all of them knew exactly what whistle came from which person. Before they set up, each of the group was more on edge. Not to the point that they were fearful of facing the bandits but more so making them reassess their mentality. Having done this so many times already, they had fallen into a grove of how they handle these types of encounters but the realization that this could actually hinder them made them look at this as a new experience. The stories that they had heard about this group of bandits made them cautious and they would ensure that they handled this delicately. It almost felt like this was the first time again but they had their previous experiences to draw on. Even being prepared, Clarke felt uneasy for some reason. She decided that she needed to have the faith in herself and her friends to be able to pull this off like they had already done time and time again. No matter the horrible tales told about this group, they were bandits just like the others and they needed to be dealt with.

 

They continued to remain in their perches. Patience was key to these ambushes. They never knew when the bandits would show themselves or if they would even show up in the area they were waiting in. Typically, the bandits they had encountered showed themselves only when there were travelers passing by. It was useful to stick around those areas as the people passing through drew out the bandits while also distracting them. The only issue with that was that the travelers may not pass through the area that they were scouting. Regardless, all they could do was wait. And wait they did. The sun passed through the sky, nothing disturbed the silence save for the wildlife in the area and the occasional whistles of the group to check in with each other. None of the group saw or heard any people moving through the woods. Neither travelers nor bandits. It was nearing sunset before a whistle was sounded.

 

Clarke tensed. That particular whistle signaled a sighting. She pulled her body into position, she balanced on the balls of her feet on the branch she had been sitting on. She was prepared to jump at a moments notice. Her eyes scanned the area and her sharp hearing was extended. She could hear soft footfalls hitting the ground around the area. There was no way to know who it was yet. All they could do was wait. Suddenly an arrow flew through to air towards the trees across from her. She knew that Octavia was hiding there but didn't understand how anyone could have spotted her. She was an expert at blending into her surroundings. The earth tones of her clothing and hood helped her to almost disappear in the woods. Several more arrows flew out of the trees. She knew that they were found. A loud cry from one of the people surrounding them only confirmed that. Clarke let out a whistle. They needed to be prepared for a different kind of fight. There was no ambushing some unsuspecting bandits. These people spread out through the woods knew they were there. They were prepared for a fight. Dread started to build in Clarkes belly. She knew that her and her friends were well equipped to go against a larger number of people and come out of it victorious but this time their enemy was shielding themselves in the woods and were prepared to fight. The blonde took a moment to hope that they all came out of this unharmed before she started leaping through the trees. She needed to see what they were up against.

 

There wasn't even a ruffle of leaves as Clarke jumped from branch to branch. She went further into the woods and away from where she knew the others were stationed. After heading further out, she curved to the right. Making a circuit around the area seemed to be the best plan to scope out the space and attempt to get an idea of how many opponents they were facing or where they were hiding. The blonde remained completely silent and moved higher into the branches to ensure that she wouldn't be seen. She made a wide circle around the area and felt her muscles increasingly tightening. There were dozens of men hidden throughout the woods. All covered in heavy furs with mud slathered on their faces. Each of the men she saw were fully armed and the blonde could tell by the way they held their weapons and their body that they were well trained. These men had seen plenty of combat. Clarke paused high in the trees. She quickly thought about this new information. There were quite a few more than they normally dealt with. This group numbered at least 30. At least those that she was able to see. She didn't know why they were simply hiding out rather than attacking. If they had been prepared for them, she imagined that they were aware there was only four of them. Clarke desperately hoped that there were warriors scouting nearby but she decided that she couldn't simply depend on hope that they would have others that could help them. A plan quickly formed in her mind. She pulled on some of the memories from Wanheda and those that were chosen by her to develop a strategy.

 

Remaining in the trees, Clarke slowly began moving again. She was going to make a silent strike from above similar to how Wanheda attacked the village the spirit showed her when she was in the dreamscape. Cutting down the numbers was the only way to ensure that all in her party survived the encounter. She had absolute faith in them but when there were possibly more than 30 opponents spread out in the woods and obviously were ready for them, it was easy to see that this would be a fierce battle and they were severely outnumbered. The blonde paused across from a single man crouched behind a tree. She pulled one of her slim throwing daggers and forcefully threw it at the mans unprotected neck. It hit so hard into his throat that not only did the dagger pierce through the front and erupt from the back of his neck but his windpipe was completely crushed. Even though the mans mouth opened into a scream, not a sound escaped. His end was quick and silent save for his body dropping to the ground. Quickly, she dropped down to remove the blade and moved on. The next man she found hiding within the thick foliage in the area. His neck was covered in his furs and she saw a glint of metal. Assuming that he had some type of armor covering his soft throat, she realized that a higher approach wouldn't work this time. The man was mainly focused towards the area that she started from but she knew that a warrior would always be aware of their surroundings. Sighing in resignation, she realized that she would need to deal with him on the ground. The blonde dropped behind the man in complete silence. She didn't give him a chance to react to her, she reached out and covered his mouth with her right hand and used the dagger in her left hand to slit his throat. Forgetting her strength, she ended up almost decapitating the man. Clarke grimaced and dropped his body to the ground. She jumped back into the trees and continued on her path. Along the way, she dropped 14 people using the same two methods. A thrown dagger to the throat or a slit throat from behind. It appeared as though part of the bandit group were moving further into the area where the blondes friends were last located.

 

Clarke moved back towards the clearing. She had significantly reduced the number of their opponents but she knew that there were still more. As she was jumping through the trees, she heard the sound of fighting. Grunts and clanging blades were echoing through the otherwise silent woods. She was thankful that there were no innocent present for this. Protecting them while taking on so many people would have been nearly impossible. The blonde halted briefly at the edge of the clearing to take in the scene. She could clearly see her friends taking on several opponents each. By the quick but thorough glance, Clarke could see no serious injuries on them. She jumped down, pulled out her dual swords, and began attacking the bandits from behind. There were even more opponents than she previously saw. She didn't allow thoughts on their numbers fester in her mind. When she fought it became all about movements. Punches, kicks, sword swings, and blocks. She felt her mind clear and ignored the part of herself that found pleasure in the fight. Her blades glinted red in the sunlight as she twirled them around her enemies. They were slick with blood.

 

Ducking under a wide swing aimed at her head, Clarke spun around her opponent. She sliced her sword deeply into the mans back. He let out a pained cry and dropped to his knees. The blonde grabbed him by the long braids in his hair and roughly pulled his head back. A harsh whisper of "yu gonplei ste odon" preceded Clarkes sword being plunged in his back directly to his heart. The body slumped ungracefully to the dirt. A whistle alerted the blonde to another sword heading her way. She spun around on the balls of her feet and brought her sword up to block the strike. The dance continued. She twisted around her opponents taking a few small nicks on her arms. There were at times up to six different opponents going after her. _Why couldn't I have trained with more than three people at a time?!_ The brief thought crossed the blondes mind as she was weaving between the bandits. She was handling herself extremely well but she wasn't yet used to facing so many at once. Even the previous battles with the many groups of bandits hadn't made Clarke face so many at the same time. The blonde hissed. Her wandering thoughts allowed one of the men attacking her to stab her in the stomach.

 

A feral growl ripped from Clarkes throat. The five men attacking her paused at both the vicious sound and the silver blood that was streaming out of the wound. Her body already began healing as soon as the blade was removed but she was livid. Granted, most of the anger was directed at herself for getting distracted but there was a good portion centered on the man who struck her and the smirk he wore on his face when the blade entered her stomach. She could tell by the wide-eyed looks on the men's faces that she was surrounded in the black shadows. An evil smile spread across her face. She was happy that these men would see their death coming in all of her otherworldly glory. Her wings flared up and out in aggression before she blurred into motion. The men were not prepared for the savage attack. Her blades twirled through the air and she mercilessly cut each bandit down. She saved the one who pierced her flesh for last. Having him watch his fellows fall one by one and to wait in the knowledge that she was going after him was so very satisfying to the blonde. When she finally reached him, she delivered his death with a smile on her face. The man was frozen in shock and fear so he didn't put up much of a fight. Clarke swung her sword brutally and easily took his head right off his shoulders. The blood sprayed over her. She stared impassively as the severed head flew through the air and the body fell to its knees before toppling over.

 

Dark pleasure curled in her veins as she reveled in her victories. She sprung into action yet again. There were several bandits still fighting in the clearing so Clarke quickly moved towards her friends. Bodies were littered all over the ground yet there were still some standing. The blonde could still feel her anger burning deep in her chest. She was fed up with the situation and decided to utilize that fury in her attack. A low growl rumbled within her chest as she charged at the backs of the men attacking her friends. The blonde used her wings to get a little height and readied both swords. She swept up behind the two men attempting to attack Octavia's back and swung both swords hard straight into their skulls using a hammer motion. The swords sunk in at the tops of their heads, splitting each skull in half. With the strength behind the swords, the blonde could have literally split the men in half from head to groin. She was content with ending the strike at the men's necks. Their deaths were enough, she didn't need to take it any further. Although there was a part of her that wanted to destroy her enemies completely and beyond recognition, she wouldn't give in to it. That was one of the many differences between her and the bandits.

 

A glance was shared between Clarke and Octavia. The brunettes eyes were shining with thanks and relief. They spun back to back and cut down the remaining opponents until there were none left standing. The blonde could hear the sigh of relief that the long and difficult battle was over from her friend. The respite was short lived however. A sharp whistle from Zion alerted them that more people were spotted. The women looked out into the woods from the direction the sound came from with an emotion bordering on dread growing in their minds. While Octavia was growing tired from the near constant fighting, the blonde was prepared for more. A wave of men poured out from the trees. They looked the same as their fallen companions, clothes in thick furs with what looked like mud slathered on their faces. A war cry left their mouths and the almost two dozen new men sprinted forward to meet the two women. Both Zion and Lincoln were not in the clearing but the women knew that the would converge on the back of the group while the bandits were distracted with both Clarke and Octavia.

 

The blonde bared her sharp canines, let out a fierce growl, and held up both of her swords which were still dripping blood from their sharp edges. As her anger flared once again at the audacity of these men to charge at them while stepping on the rapidly cooling bodies of their dead companions. The shadows that danced behind her grew. She was dwarfed by their height and the swirling darkness spread further out to surround her sides. The men barreling towards her didn't falter at the impressive display. The blonde assumed that they had been observing the previous battle and were well aware of her otherworldly presence. Despite the fact that they didn't slow their charge, the blonde could see the wide eyed fear they each held in their eyes. She felt herself show them an evil smirk. They thought they knew what she was capable of but somehow believed that she would be overwhelmed with their numbers. She and Octavia stood absolutely still and waited for their opponents to reach them. They could see the uncertainty this approach caused in the bandits. It wasn't a normal battle technique for the grounders to practice complete stillness and unfaltering patience when facing a combatant. They normally displayed posturing and aggression during a fight. Presumably to show off their physical prowess and in the attempt to intimate the enemy. That tactic didn't affect the women in the slightest. They moved only when the approaching men were in easy striking distance. The total motionless positions held until they suddenly flew into motion. Swords moved so quickly that they whistled in the air. The women expertly spun together around their opponents covering each other while attacking the swarming men.

 

As Clarke locked both of her swords with an abnormally tall and muscular man she saw both Zion and Lincoln run in behind the swarm of bandits. The man she was engaged with threw a punch to her jaw and her head snapped to the side. _Damn he's strong. And fucking huge!! What were they feeding this man?!_ Her head slowly turned back to the giant. She could see the slight surprise on the mans face. If she had been anyone else, that hit would have completely knocked her out. As of now, the only thing she felt was the strength behind the hit. Clarke removed her left blade from the block she still held keeping the other mans sword in place. The blade in her right hand pushed the crossed blades further to her left. Even though the man was strong, he couldn't compete with the power that she exerted against him. Once the joined swords neared around her left shoulder, the blonde pushed hard to propel the blade away from her while spinning to the left. She held her left sword away from her body and used the momentum to build up speed before delivering an unbelievably forceful strike to the man. He saw her movements so lifted his sword with both hands in a block. The mans sword shattered and he groaned in pain when he felt the bones break in his hands at the impact of Clarkes strike. Before he could even attempt to recover from the punishing blow, the blonde pulled Lexa's dagger from her thigh and thrust it into his eye and further into his brain. The giant slowly slid off of the blade and dropped to the ground.

 

The dance continued. Each of the four friends attacked and defended against the remaining ten bandits. Both Octavia and Lincoln were slowing down slightly from a gradually creeping exhaustion. It wasn't enough to be detrimental to them but Clarke could tell. She knew this needed to end soon so the blonde stepped up another notch. Moving even faster, she worked on attacking those surrounding the couple that was wearing down. She refused to allow anything to happen to them and knew that Zion would continue fighting the other bandits while she focused her attention on her friends. Suddenly more people poured out from the woods. Clarke growled in frustration. She knew they couldn't keep this up and glared towards the many new people running full tilt towards them. These were different people; the clothing they wore and the paint smeared on their faces were definitely characteristic of the Trikru.

 

It wasn't the first time that warriors had joined in on their battles with the bandits, however it was the first time that Clarke recognized who was leading the charge. _Anya?!_ She put her astonishment to the side for the moment while they dealt with the remaining bandits. With the increased number in their party, the remaining opponents were swiftly dealt with until all left standing were Clarkes group and the Trikru warriors. Subtly, Clarke made sure her hood was still up and lowered in front of her face a bit. She knew without a doubt that Anya would recognize her in one glance and she couldn't allow that to happen...not yet at least. Octavia began to move through the clearing to reach Clarkes side. The blonde could see the minor tension in her friends shoulders. They all knew that they were bound to run into someone that may recognize them but it was always a distant concern. Even knowing that, being faced with the Trikru general was jarring. It felt like the past was slowly trying to catch up with them. A small whistle sounded but it wasn't from Clarke or her companions. It was the whistle of an arrow. Another followed shortly after. The blonde spun around, she knew where the arrows were fired from and could easily see a single man perched in a tree with his bow in his hand. He was reaching for another arrow as she observed him. A deep groan pulled her attention away from the man, she saw that Octavia was the target. She had an arrow sticking from her left shoulder and her right thigh but she was still on her feet.

 

  
_"Do not remove those."_ Clarke barked out the order to Lincoln who was running towards the brunette to assess her injuries. They couldn't be removed yet until Clarke could handle it. She had something to take care of first. _"He is mine."_ Ignoring the fact that her voice sounded different and that there were Trikru warriors in the area with them, she ran and launched herself into the air. The mans eyes flew open as he saw the blonde streaking through the air to reach him. His attempts to climb down were ineffectual. Clarke landed directly on the same branch as the lone bandit, a growl vibrating in her chest. The smell of fear began wafting off the man as he saw the blonde in front of him. Her wings were still spread wide with the swirling shadows present around her. The extremely sharp fangs were on full display and the promise of death shined in her eyes. Clarke had no desire to fight. She reached out to grab his arms and pulled him towards her. Without pause, she bared her teeth and bit hard into the mans neck. She barely held in a moan. The earlier blood loss was more severe than she thought as she was currently ravenous. She drunk deep, long past the point where the man stopped struggling. Once she took in all of the blood she could, she casually dropped the man down and watched as his body collapsed on the roots of the tree. She gently followed him and thrust a dagger into his heart to ensure that he wouldn't be able to recover. Clarke turned back to the others.

 

The collection of people in the clearing had full view of what the blonde had just done. None of her friends were in the least bit surprised by her actions but the warriors were taken completely off guard. Clarke smiled internally, she managed to break the stoic demeanors of the Trikru. At the same time she was uncertain of their reactions. The stories that circulated were mostly based on her wings, the ferocity of her attacks, and the friends that were fierce fighters in their own right. No doubt, there were mostly likely exaggerations built on that but never had anyone witnessed her blood drinking or the shadows that restlessly moved behind and around her. Clarke had no question in her mind that the things the warriors saw today would be added into the tales of the roaming protectors but she hoped that the many times she had saved the people of the clan would prove to help the people accept the new information. If she became a monster in their eyes it would prove to make things more difficult when trying to help against the bandits and also for her future plans.

 

A whimper from Octavia distracted the increasingly negative thoughts running through the blondes mind. She bypassed the impatiently waiting Anya and moved towards her friend. The brunette was laying against Lincoln with her leg propped up. Clarke knelt down on one knee with her back to the warriors and her wings flared out to block them from sight. She didn't want them to know what she was about to do. The warning that Zion gave her rang in her mind. She had no desire to be hunted solely for her blood. Bringing her wrist to her mouth, she bit in deep to allow the wound to bleed longer and lifted the wrist already welling with her silver blood to Octavia's mouth. She silently ordered her to drink with her eyes. The brunette grimaced before lowered her mouth and suckling at the torn flesh. The arrows were left in for the moment, Clarke wanted to ensure that she already had the healing blood in her system before she removed them. There was no way to know just yet if the arrows nicked an artery. The wound closed and Octavia pulled away with a frown. Clarke bit again and allowed the brunette to drink once more. Once she drank her fill, the blonde prepared to pull the arrows out.

 

  
_"Okay I'm going to take them out. I need you to stay still. It should only hurt for a moment."_ Clarke took her dagger and cut through the fabric surrounding the arrow shafts on both sides. Starting at the shoulder, she quickly snapped the feathered end of the shaft and shoved it further through while pulling the other end until the arrow was removed. Taking the dagger, the blonde cut deep into her wrist and let the flowing blood fall inside both the exit and entrance wounds. The process was quickly repeated on the arrow skewering Octavia's thigh. She ripped two strips of cloth from the brunettes shirt and wrapped the wounds. The blood would easily heal them in no time but the bandages were necessary considering they had an audience. Octavia realized the same and knew she would need to act as though the wounds were painful. The calm expression on the brunettes face showed that the wounds were already healing and she no longer felt the pain.

 

Clarke slowly stood and helped Octavia up. They made eye contact for strength as this was the first time in months that they had faced a Trikru that they knew. Turning, the blonde walked steadily towards the general and the warriors fanned out behind her. A simple gesture signaled the others to follow her as she approached. She stopped a few feet from Anya and subtly nodded her head in respect to the other woman. _"General. Thank you for the assistance."_  


 

The wide eyed look on Anya's face was the only indication of how much the entire situation surprised her. The general wasn't expecting the day to turn out as it did. They were scouting the woods in the attempt to locate the bandits plaguing the area. Her eyes scanned the clearing to the dozens of bodies scattered throughout. Her eyes traveled back to the four standing in front of her. She could see that the other woman was already standing tall even with her injuries. A sliver of respect ran through her but she was wary. All of them were hooded and they didn't bother to expose their faces to her. She was suspicious of the reason that they felt the need to hide their identities. The woman who spoke to her sounded slightly familiar but she had a strange haunting echo to her voice so she couldn't say for sure. What happened with the man who shot the arrows, what the winged woman did to him, was in her mind but she had more important things to focus on. " _I have heard the stories about a winged woman and her three companions scouring the lands and helping the people but I must say that I didn't honestly believe them to be true. Who are you and what is it you hope to gain from doing this? You are no warrior that I know of as I'm sure I would have noticed a winged woman residing within my clan."_  


 

A small smile graced Clarkes face. There was a tiny part of her that was actually happy to see the brash general again. She was very upfront and brutally honest. Most of the warriors and villagers that they encountered over the many weeks they had been doing their mission were very respectful and timid in a sense around her. It was almost as though they feared a slight to the blonde would incur her wrath and instead of protecting them she may decide to end them. _"The stories were most likely exaggerated to a point but we four have been targeting the bandit problems that are occurring. We don't wish to see any innocents be harmed so we will do what we can. Protecting them and saving them from the deaths these cowards hope to inflict on them is all that we hope to gain."_ She could see the three beside her nod in agreement. _" As to who we are...we are no one."_  


 

Anya raised a brow at that response. This wasn't behavior she was used to. Warriors are proud and liked to boast their prowess. These four in front of her were abnormally humble and that made her suspicions raise. While the warriors of her clan swear to protect all Trikru selflessly, they are still proud about showing it off. It gained the respect of both the warriors and the people of the clan. This woman before her didn't want to advertise who they were which made her think that they had something to hide. She let the silence hang for some time and stared harshly at the group. Normally her fearsome appearance and direct stare caused people to lose confidence and look away in fear. She narrowed her eyes. These people weren't even uncomfortable. They stood there relaxed and in wait of her response.

 

  
_"My apologies for not allowing you and the affected villages to have the blood owed to them from the terror these men inflicted but they were ready for us. It was a battle to the death and we were unable to keep any survivors to hand over."_ Clarke wanted to be sure that this didn't cause offense. She was well aware of how the Trikru reacted when they were denied their justice.

 

A thoughtful look crossed the generals face. _"I understand. We witnessed most of the fight. As I am still unsure of your intentions, I decided to observe your group. There was no way for you to allow any to live."_ Anya failed to hide her discomfort and spat out, _"You all fought very well."_ That was the most that she could say. Regardless of her doubts about the group, she couldn't deny that they were very skilled. Particularly the blonde, not that she would admit that. Her delay was as she said, she wanted to observe how the four fought and whether they fought with honor, but it was also because she was in awe. Fighting was an intricate dance with deadly consequences but the four before her performed as though it was what they were made to do. Her doubt stemmed from fear that they could be formidable enemies...not that she would ever say that. As of now, she would accept the winged woman's words and take into account her groups actions. They seemed to be as they said and at that point she had no proof otherwise.

 

Laughter threatened to bubble up in Clarkes throat but she firmly pushed it back. The difficulty that the general displayed in complimenting their abilities was greatly amusing. She was a little annoyed that Anya held her warriors back while they were viciously fighting so many bandits but as everything worked out in the end, it was easy to dismiss. She most likely would have done the same. _"Your observation of us is understandable. I could assure you that we are simply a group of people that only wish to help but I know that actions are what is most important. I hope that our actions thus far have proven my words to be true. You will make your own judgements on us. For now, could you and your men help us in putting this plague of bandits to rest. They need to be burned to remove the stain they have inflicted upon this land."_  


 

Approval shined bright in the generals eyes. Although these men didn't deserve peace, those remaining needed them to be released to move on from the pain the bandits caused. She ordered her men to help in preparing a pyre. With her warriors and the four bandit hunters, it was accomplished easily. The bodies were placed upon the pyre and they remained to ensure the flames didn't spread to the trees in the area. Night fell long before the fire died out.

 

  
_"We must go. Thank you general for your assistance."_ Clarke and her friends moved towards the trees. They needed to disappear to avoid any more questions from the general. The time was not yet right for anyone to know who they were. The blonde saw Anya step towards them and attempt to call them back. _"I'm sure we will meet again Onya."_ They disappeared into the trees and ensured that they left no tracks behind. It wouldn't due to be followed.  


* * *

  
TonDC was slowly being cleared of the rubble left behind after the missile strike from the mountain. Due to the weather slowly becoming colder, any rebuilding would need to be put off until the ground was not frozen. The people of the village stayed in tents for the time being but they worked tirelessly to clear the area. It needed to be ready for when they could build the village up from the charred remains. Even with the pain that was caused, the people were not going to allow the act from the mountain crush their spirits so they worked hard to resurrect their once thriving home.

 

Lexa watched on. Her heart ached from the sight of the village and the memories of how it came to be as it was. The villagers intent on making this place home again soothed that ache to a point. There was no way for them to heal the pain that thoughts of a certain blonde caused. _Klark._ The commander shut her eyes tight. Every time she was assaulted by thoughts of the other girl, she firmly pushed them away. She knew that what she did was necessary for her people but seeing the devastated look on Clarkes face when she left her on the mountain felt like her heart was being squeezed with razor edged wire. Each thought of the blonde made it squeeze tighter. She was honestly surprised that her heart still had the room to beat within her chest. On that cursed mountain, Lexa wished that she wasn't the commander for the first time in her life. Even when Costia was taken, she never felt such a desire to not be responsible for her people...to want to live for herself only. It confounded her. She only knew the blonde for a couple of short weeks, whereas Costia had been apart of her life for years. Somehow Clarke had burrowed herself beneath her carefully crafted walls that she had both before and after Costia's death. The blonde had implanted herself so deep within the commanders very bones that there was no way to remove her without killing the brunette. Lexa simply didn't understand how that happened. She felt more pain from losing Clarke than she did when Costia died. It was unbelievably difficult to admit that to herself though. She felt as though she were betraying the memory of her first love. With a sigh, the commander opened her eyes and entered her tent.

 

She sat upon her throne and stared at nothing. Attempting fruitlessly to avoid all thoughts about the blonde that she betrayed. She wasn't sure how much time had passed before someone entered her tent. It was one of her most trusted and best scouts.

 

After the mountain, she had assigned this scout to follow Clarke. She was fearful for her safety. Of course, Clarke wasn't anywhere that the scout could follow by the time they reached the mountain. She just had to go into the underground fortress completely alone to pointlessly try to save her people. The anger that the brunette felt at that report still simmered in her veins. She wasn't quite sure who that anger was directed at or whether it was based purely on the terror that she felt. When she took that deal, she knew that she was sacrificing the skaikru but at least Clarke was safe outside of the mountain. She realizes that she should have known better. She sent the scout out again in the vain hope that the blonde would make it out alive but she had lost hope in that ever happening. What were the odds of the blonde escaping the mountains grasp twice. The next report she received was delivered by a haunted scout. He told her that the skaikru made it out of the mountain, that he overheard Clarke was the one to end the threat, and the front door was left open. After following the staggering sky people and watching them enter their camp, he headed back to the mountain. He remembered that the maunon couldn't breathe the air so he decided to investigate. What he saw was terrifying. He delivered the horrible details of the bloody and open sores covering every man, woman, and child within the mountain. Lexa was in shock at the news. When they were planning the attack on the mountain, Clarke was the one to insist that it was a rescue mission and that not every person in the mountain was guilty. She was firm that they shouldn't all be killed but in the end she was the one to destroy over 300 lives. While Lexa felt her body hum in pleasure at the news of the mountains demise, she was shocked into silence at what the blonde had done. She knew that the blonde would hate herself for her actions.

 

Lexa sent the scout back to the sky camp after the report of the mountain but he returned shortly after claiming that she left her people. For weeks, the blonde was gone. None of her scouts could find her anywhere and she feared the worst. The scout returned near the sky camp to see if any information on Clarke could be discovered. Instead, he was met with the blonde herself. He watched her enter the camp with an unknown man, the tree and sky girl, and the traitor. They only stayed for a short time and by the time that he returned from delivering that news to the commander, the blonde was once again gone.

 

  
_"What news do you have Sef?"_ The commander easily hid her worry for the safety of the blonde beneath her calm mask. Inside, she felt her heart beat faster while the wire attempted to cut deeper.

 

Sef looked uncertainly at his Heda. He had been searching for the blonde for months and even though the commander showed no emotion to him, he could see the worry swirl in her eyes. _"There is still nothing. I have found no tracks at all and there have been no sightings of Wanheda that I have heard about. There is nothing to go on."_  


 

Closing her eyes briefly, Lexa waited for the pain shooting through her to pass. She was beginning to think that Clarke was dead. If she were still alive, her scouts would have found evidence of that. There was no way that she could hide from those so skilled in reading the ground. Wanheda was not skilled enough to evade her people. She thought of the new title distastefully. It was a great honor to be named such, but she knew that it would crush Clarke to know that it what she was called. There was no one that valued life so much as the blonde. The pain of thinking the blonde was already dead was unbearable. _No. She is not gone from this world! It is not possible._ She looked to the scout again. _"Get some rest for now and then continue searching."_ She watched Sef slightly bow before leaving. The brunette refused to give up on her sky girl even though she knew that the blonde would never be hers. _Not yet is now not ever._ She sighed and sat at her table that had food and a jug of spiced wine upon it.

 

After picking at her meal and drinking two cups of wine, the commander decided to try to sleep. She hoped that it would ease her heart and mind. Thoughts of Clarke were always worse when she spoke with the scout. This time was no different. She changed into a nightgown and lay beneath the pile of furs on her bed. Closing her eyes, she attempted to clear her mind so that she could finally sleep. A low groan sounded through the tent after some time. All she could see was hair the color of sunlight, eyes bluer than the sky and the sea combined, and pale unblemished flesh. She tried not to remember their kiss. It was almost as though she could feel the blondes burning lips and hands even after the months it had been. Being able to still feel it was both a curse and a blessing. She had never felt so much from just a simple kiss. There was absolutely nothing that she could compare the feeling to. She had never felt the burning energy of the sun directly on her skin and have it radiating through her body. She would not survive it. But that kiss was like that and she wasn't sure she really survived that kiss, at least not all of her. It was pure electric energy pulsing through her body, passed on from the blonde she held in her arms. It felt like that warm, inviting, yet a tad bit dangerous energy was calling out to the brunette. Asking her to be absorbed in all that was Clarke. Trying to pull her in so that they shared one body, one mind, and one heart. Like if she agreed there would be no more Lexa or Clarke, it would always be both. It was both terrifying and exhilarating. She wanted to merge her being with the blonde but also to run far away. There was no reconciling it. Never had she felt something so absolute or as big as the cosmos as she did with Clarke. From one single kiss that didn't last long enough.

 

  
_"Heda. I have news."_ Anya called from outside the tent.

 

Lexa sighed. She was happy that her completely uncontrollable thoughts were cut off but she dreaded what news her dearest friend would be there so late to deliver. She sat up but stayed beneath the furs. It was only Anya and the brunette was able to be just Lexa around her so she had no worries about making a commanding image before allowing her to enter. _"Come Anya."_  


 

Bursting through the flaps in the tent, Anya went over to the table first and poured herself a large cup of spiced wine. She had no reason to fall on formality as Lexa was still in bed. Over the years, she had learned when to treat Lexa as the commander and when she had the leave not to. This was one of the times where she could treat the younger girl as her seken once again. After downing the cup, she pulled a chair close to the bed. _"As you know, I was out scouting with our warriors. The bandits we were after were the ones that were especially brutal and cowardly. Torturing and raping the villagers no matter the age."_ She shook her head and clenched her jaw thinking about it. Any person who would do something so terrible deserved far worse than they had actually received. Although, having to face the honestly terrifying winged woman who evidently drinks blood was a pretty good punishment. She recalled seeing the pure terror on the last mans face. He actually soiled himself. She was pleased that they felt some of the dread and horror that they inflicted on the innocent villagers they went after. _"We heard them in the trees not far from where we were looking. Following the sounds, we discovered that they were already fighting."_ She paused at the rage she saw on the commanders face and rushed to reassure her. _"No the fight wasn't with any villagers or travelers. It was the winged woman and her three companions."_  


 

Lexa let out an undignified snort. _"That is just a tale warriors tell around the fire and mothers tell to their children so they are not afraid of the dark."_  


 

  
_"No Lexa. She and her companions are very real. I watched as only the four of them took on near 50 bandits. Not one of them was seriously injured until the end. They were the most fearsome fighters I have ever witnessed and I have to admit that I believe each would be a worthy opponent and the winged woman may even be able to take you. She does in fact have wings, the stories did not lie about that. They were huge and dark. She can actually fly with them as well. After the fight was over and I revealed myself, there was a man hidden in the trees who shot two arrows into the other woman in the group. The winged one flew into the trees and killed him. She bit him in the neck, dropped his body to the ground, and followed up with a dagger to ensure his death. I-I believe she drank his blood."_ She knew what she saw but it just didn't seem reasonable. Not that a flying woman was very reasonable either.

 

Silence pervaded the tent. Lexa had her eyes narrowed while she studied her mentor. There was an uneasiness and reluctant respect hidden within the generals eyes. When she first heard the stories about the four companions who were saving her people, she didn't believe it. She figured that it was just her warriors doing as she had ordered. But the stories continued. The same four people were seen traveling around and saving innocents in her lands. And she had no idea who they were. That wasn't a good feeling for her. These were her lands and her people, she should know who is roaming through her woods. But the identities remained a secret. _"Did you discover who they are or where they come from?"_  


 

A frown pulled at Anya's lips. _"No I did not. They each had a hood obscuring their faces. The only one who spoke was the winged woman. I thought I recognized her voice for a moment but she spoke with a strange voice. It was husky with a strange almost echo to it. I asked who they were and she only said 'we are no one'. She explained that they were only trying to help those who needed it and said she knew that I wouldn't trust her words only and pointed me to look at their actions. We helped burn the bodies and they disappeared into the woods. None of us could track them. I sent several of our best to find out where they went. There was nothing left behind that showed they were ever there."_  


 

_"And do you believe what she told you?"_

 

Anya paused to think it over. On her way back, she had plenty of time to go over everything that happened. There was no reason to believe that they four were after anything other than what they claimed. Every story that was told was about how bandits attempted to attack travelers or villages and the four would suddenly appear, eliminate the bandits and save the targeted people. They left without accepted any offered gifts and anything that they got from a village was traded for fairly. _"Everything I have heard about them and everything that I witnessed shows that they fight and live with honor. The only thing that bothers me is their need to disguise who they are. If they had nothing but good intentions why would they hide themselves?"_  


 

  
_"It could be for a variety of reasons. Perhaps they don't want to be known as the four who fight off bandits. I would imagine that if people knew who they were, they would be sought after by both enemies and those who want their help with everything. Although I do agree that it seems odd. Warriors would be proud of the accomplishments that these have achieved. The fact that they don't want to be known may be because they are hiding from certain people. Regardless, they are doing no harm at the moment. I would have you keep the warriors on alert just in case these people turn from protecting the innocents to harming them. If that was their goal, having the people welcome them so freely would give them an opportunity that them may not have otherwise."_ The commander wasn't worried. All the things that she heard about these four have been good if not overly mysterious. They were able fighters and were working to keep her people safe at times that her own warriors couldn't. With the growing issues with Azgeda and their thinly veiled attacks happening, it wasn't a major concern for her.

 

Accepting that, Anya conceded to ensure that their people would be prepared if the unknown group decided to attack. Questions plagued her though. She could have sworn that the voice reminded her of someone but who that may have been escaped her. No doubt she would have remembered someone with wings easily anyway.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. So sorry for the delay on getting this posted. I was hoping to introduce some particular reunions in this chapter but once I hit 12,000 words I decided to break it up. There are major feels included this time. I must have been in a mushy mood or something but next chapter will be filled with reunions and action.

The cleansing after battle that Clarke and the others had turned into a ritual wasn't so easily accomplished with the changed weather. It was far too cold for Octavia and Lincoln to take a dip in the river. Zion proposed a solution. He thought that it would be a nice treat after the day they had been through to sleep in a warm room with actual beds and bathtubs. Although the others were hesitant about potentially exposing themselves to people that may not welcome them, the promise of a night of comfort was too good to pass up. Agreeing on a nearby village, Zion ventured there on his own to get lodgings while the other three went to their campsite to pack everything away and move the horses.

 

As it was already late in the night, it was simple for Zion to sneak the others into the building where they would stay for the night. There was a stable for rent behind it so the horses were easily sheltered as well. He met back up with his friends as they were taking in the space. Instead of renting out a room in a local pub, he decided a small home would be better for them. There would be less of a chance that the people would notice the others as either those that hunted the bandits or that there were two sky people and a traitor in their midst. Although Zion didn't view them as such, he had his fears that they would be attacked based on what the people would see. The home was more of a small cabin and there were two bedrooms and a larger room that housed a cooking area, a table with chairs, and a large tub that sat next to an already roaring fire. There was a large pot sitting over the flames, heating up water for a bath.

 

  
_"This is wonderful Zion."_ Clarke turned to the man with a large smile on her face and her eyes twinkling in happiness. Their recent nomadic life and sleeping only on a bedroll set upon the cold ground made this seem like absolute extravagance. She looked over to Octavia and Lincoln. _"How about you two take a bath first? It looks like it's big enough for the two of you. We can prepare dinner while you are doing that."_

 

Although she was reluctant to make her friend wait, Octavia agreed. They each put their things away while the water was heating up. The couple brought their soap, towels, and new clothes near the tub while Clarke and Zion pulled out meat, potatoes, and vegetables. Having a warm and hearty stew quickly became a comfort for them after the battles with the bandits. The couple quickly stripped down and sank into the hot water while the others began chopping up the ingredients and tossing them into a smaller pot that was sitting over a modest cooking fire. Clarke observed Octavia as she was getting into the water to ensure she was okay. The wounds on her shoulder and thigh were healed and now looked an angry red. The blonde wasn't concerned, it simply looked like a newly formed scar and with her sharp sense of smell she could tell that it was not festering. She was beyond grateful that the arrows hadn't hit the brunette anywhere fatal. The blonde was unsure about whether she would have been able to heal something so dire and she had no desire to test out the extent of her bloods abilities on one of her dearest friends. Satisfied that each of them were healthy she continued to prepare dinner.

 

Once the couple was cleaned up and their stew was cooking, Clarke directed Zion to bathe next. She didn't mind the wait however the blood coating her skin was getting uncomfortable and itchy. She recalled a time when that would have bothered her. After she killed Finn, Clarke scrubbed her hands raw in the attempt to remove the blood from her hands. She couldn't stand the sight or smell of it. There was a similar feeling after Mount Weather. Even though the genocide of the mountain men left her hands free of blood in the literal sense, she felt as though her entire body was coated in the stuff from the hundreds that she killed. After leaving the cursed place, she repeatedly dunked herself in a river and emerged with blazing red skin. She had scratched fiercely all over her body to remove the feeling but still felt polluted by it. Now it was different. Blood was death but it was also life. The blood that coated her was a testament to the many lives that would be safe now that the bandits were dead. It didn't make her uneasy or uncomfortable in the slightest and she was okay with that.

 

Once everyone else was clean and comfortable, Clarke changed the water and cleansed her body. It was bliss to wash away the evidence of the day. Each of them felt refreshed after they completed their ritual, it allowed them to remove the events that transpired not only from their bodies but also their minds. The blonde didn't linger regardless of her desire to soak. She dried herself and changed quickly. Another large pot of water was already warm on the fire. She replaced the dirty water in the tub and began cleaning their soiled clothing. The repetitive motions was calming to her. She smiled as she watched her new family. Zion was humming quietly to himself while stirring the cooking stew. Octavia and Lincoln were curled up by the fire, cuddling and absorbed in their own private world. Even before she landed on the ground, Clarke never thought she would have this. Regardless of the dangers that they faced, at the end of the day they had each other. It was warm and comfortable in the silence. Finished with the clothes, she hung them up near the fire to dry and sat back with her eyes closed until they were ready to eat.

 

Food was passed out and each ate quickly. The feeling of warm food filling their bellies was welcomed and thoroughly enjoyed. Having warmth in the room, their hunger being satisfied, and the company of one another was a wonderful reward after the day they had. As per usual, all conversations were held off until they were clean and fed. They found that having the silence pervade the group while they went through their routine was essential. It allowed them time to digest the events of the day and the lives that were taken. No matter how deserving their enemies were of their deaths, life was still precious. It was understood that those that fell under their blades had forfeited their right to live but regardless, lives were taken and there must be respect paid to that. The time in silence allowed each of them to accept their actions and understand that the sacrifice was necessary to save others. It wasn't difficult for them to come to terms with the death they dealt but each needed time to reflect on it.

 

  
_"So Onya. Can't say that I was expecting that."_ Octavia was the first to break the silence. She was in shock when she saw who was leading the warriors that aided them earlier in the day. She knew that it would happen one day that she would see a warrior she knew from before but the odds of it happening were pretty low. There were more people within the Trikru alone than she or any of the Skaikru knew. She withheld a shudder when she imagined running into Indra in one of their battles. Deciding not to dwell of thoughts of her previous mentor, she roughly pushed it aside.

 

A chuckle left Clarkes mouth. _"Out of everything that was so royally fucked up today, that's what shocked you?"_ Seeing Anya was a surprise for sure, but the entire day was shocking. There were far more bandits than they had ever encountered at once, those same bandits were expecting them, prepared to fight them, and Octavia was almost killed by some random arrows. Having the general there was just one small line on the list of outrageous things that happened in the day.

 

  
_"Of course. But seeing her there was just the topping on the whole fucking shitty day. Seriously those bastards knew we were coming and tried to ambush us!"_ She shook her head in disbelief. It was to be expected that sooner or later the bandits would make a more aggressive move towards them but she was still dumfounded that they thought they could win. Having more numbers was reasonable on the bandits part, but the four of them were vicious and they fought for the most inspiring and powerful thing there was...full belief in a cause. Her thoughts spun back towards the general. _"I was terrified to say anything. They spied on us enough at the dropship after we landed that I'm sure she would know who I was in a moment."_ She threw a pointed look at Lincoln. He was one of the scouts that eavesdropped on them. She held no ill will however towards her mild stalker turned lover. She simply enjoyed bringing it up on occasion to see the bashful look that would grace his face each time at the reminder. She turned back to Clarke. _"By the way, what the fuck happened to your voice back there? It sounded creepy as hell."_

 

Clarke looked to Zion. She smirked at the annoyed look on the mans face. Just based on the look alone, she knew that he wasn't sure how or why her voice changed. He wasn't used to not knowing. Everything about Wanheda and her abilities was his expertise. Until Clarke came along and changed the game. _"I'm not really sure. All I know was that when I saw her I knew she couldn't figure out who I was. Based on the look on Zion's face, I'll guess he doesn't know either. But as a guess, it probably has something to do with the whole spirit thing. But I can tell you it felt weird coming out of my throat."_ The blonde huffed. She felt like as soon as she got used to something that came with being Wanheda another random thing would pop up. _"Oh! I figured out how to control those shadows that stalk me. I made them huge when I was fighting. You should have seen those guys faces when they faced me. It was great."_ She chuckled remembering the wide eyed terror on their faces.

 

  
_"Oh I definitely saw. They were scared absolutely shitless at the sight of you."_ Octavia laughed as she recalled something. _"Actually I think the shitless part is more accurate than you know. I'm almost positive a few at least pissed themselves."_

 

Disgust flashed across Lincolns face. _"You are correct. Several of them soiled themselves. It was rather unpleasant getting close to them with that smell."_ The loud laughter of the women didn't remove the distaste in him.

 

  
_"I think that the two of you are far too happy that you have the ability to terrify someone so badly that they literally piss themselves. It's frankly a little disturbing."_ Zion stared at the two women who were leaning against each other cracking up. He looked towards Lincoln who only rolled his eyes.

 

Finally calming down to only occasion giggles, the girls pulled themselves up. The brunette had an evil grin on her face. _"Yeah well those bastards deserved it. They went around spreading death, horror, and mayhem in the villages. Honestly, they should have gotten more punishment than they did but I'm happy that we scared them. Before they died, they had to endure a fraction of what their victims felt."_

 

Clarke hummed. _"You're right. I was thinking the same thing when I was fighting them."_ She sent a sheepish look to Zion. _"I may have possibly done it on purpose. When that guy stabbed me in the stomach there was pleasure in his eyes and a smirk on his face. He was enjoying it. So I killed all of the men around him and saved him for last. The last thing he saw was my smiling face with the blood of his friends splattered across it. Hey don't look at me like that Zion. Those assholes deserved it and much more. I was furious at the arrogance and sadistic joy they held. It was tempted to make it worse for them."_

 

The fury was understandable. The bandits were terrible people and they didn't care about the drawn out, horrible pain that they caused others. Zion felt anger towards them as well and knew the dark desire to make it hurt for each and every bandit. He was pleased that Clarke didn't allow that to overcome her. She knew that to cross that line would make her no better than the bandits. _"I understand. Knowing about their history made it difficult to show honor and mercy to those men. We all did well in remembering that what we do it about justice and protection, not only vengeance."_

 

That quickly sobered the girls up. Clarke thought about that. _"I have always kept in mind that our actions are based on justice but I don't think you can completely exclude vengeance. Pure vengeance is definitely not a good thing and not something that we partake in. But add forgiveness and I think it gives a good balance. Vengeance makes us fierce while forgiveness keeps us human. Either one simply on it's own would be dangerous. Although what we do is justice, us intentionally seeking out the bandits is born out of vengeance. We are looking to judge and punish those that have hurt us, regardless of the fact that it is indirectly. If we ran on that only though, we wouldn't be merciful towards them. We would have brutalized them as they have done to the people. That's where the forgiveness comes in. It tempers us and allows us to turn that vengeance into justice."_

 

Silence and wide eyes were the only response for a time. Octavia blinked owlishly. _"Well who would have thought that we have our own philosopher here?"_ Clarke gave her the 'I'm trying to be serious here' look. _"But really though, you're right. I never really thought of it like that but I can see where you're getting that from. We must have both. It kinda sounds harsh but even if you only had forgiveness, you would only allow people to walk all over you and pardon them for every transgression even if they were deserving of punishment."_

 

  
_"Your point of view is enlightening. I must admit that I never thought about it quite as thoroughly. It is more than accurate and with your description, it would be easy to fall to one or the other if you weren't careful."_ Zion was impressed. He was well aware that the blonde was smart but it seemed that her knowledge was beyond her years. When he thought of the fact that she was only 18, he was even more surprised. He knew that in the sky she would still be looked upon as a child even though according to their views she was fresh into adulthood. How she gained such insight considering her upbringing was beyond him. Those on the ground grew up much faster than the ones raised on the Ark. That just reaffirmed his beliefs that Clarke was finally home there. She wasn't made to live among the stars.

 

The blonde pursed her lips in thought. The conversation had turned out more heavy than she anticipated but she nodded in agreement with Zion. _"You know, this was the first time that we didn't get pointed in another direction. I haven't been getting any of those feelings since the earlier bandits either."_

 

  
_"Well we could take a small break. Maybe go back to Camp Jaha for a few days and relax? I know you've been missing our friends just as much as me."_ Octavia honestly missed her brother. The past weeks that she had been on the move with the others was the longest that she had ever been away from him. The extra downtime without planning out an attack and scouting in the freezing cold would also be welcome.

 

A sigh escaped the blonde as she leaned over to hug the other girl. _"You read my mind. Well mostly. I was thinking this morning that I wanted us to hide far away in the woods for a little bit to get some rest. Camp Jaha wasn't the first place I would have thought of but I do miss them too. It will be nice to visit. We did promise after all."_

 

  
_"Yeah hopefully the adults don't still act like asses all the time."_ Octavia added hopefully. She watched the blonde point an incredulous expression at her. The men did as well but not quite as harshly. _"Okay it's not that believable, I'll give you that. But I can hope right?"_

 

Reaching an agreement and setting a plan to head back to the sky camp the next day, all four decided to head to bed. They had a long several weeks and would enjoy the comfort a real bed would provide.

* * *

  
Just before dawn, Abby stirred from her uneasy sleep. Since her daughter left again she hadn't been sleeping well. The nights were filled with running thoughts and plenty of tossing and turning. She let out a groan as the room began to lighten with the dawn of a new day. Her duties of being the head doctor was all that was keeping her from curling back up in her bed to sleep away the day. Without even sitting up, she reached over to her nightstand to begin her new morning ritual that she started two months before. The letter that her daughter left her was always in reach and each morning, and sometimes several times a day, she read through it. The paper was worn from being opened, refolded, and worried between her fingers. She could honestly recite the entire page from heart but seeing her daughters unique writing made her feel as though some part of the blonde were still there. With a sigh, she opened the letter and began reading.

 

'Mom,

  
Please know first that regardless of what we have said to each other and what your opinion of my choices in life are, I still love you. By the time you read this, I will be gone. Don't worry though, I'll be back to visit. Octavia, Lincoln, and Zion are with me and we will be safe. I wanted to explain so many things to you when I was there but you didn't really give me the chance. Maybe we will have another chance in the future but that it completely up to you. I'll say it again but you need to accept that how I live my life is not up to you. Any choice that I make is exactly that...my choice. You don't have to approve but if you want to be involved in my life, you need to accept it.

  
I can completely understand your doubts in what I told you about the spirits but you cannot honestly say that you are a scientist and at the same time believe that you know everything. Being a scientist means knowing that there is always more to learn. New facts will come to light that may completely disprove something that was previously thought of as indisputable fact. I didn't simply hear fairy tales about a spirit and decide to believe in it. You know me better than that. I was shown tangible things. I saw where Wanheda lived while she was alive and I saw, touched, and spoke to her when I went through the process. I learned about her life and the background behind where she lived that was proven after the fact. Those things were never told to me before hand so it would have been impossible to know. I didn't blindly accept that spirits were real and even now, I don't claim to know that there are others. I have seen no proof of other spirits but I don't discount the fact that it's possible. That would be arrogant and shortsighted. There is so much mystery all around us. Don't forget that.

  
I know that you will still worry for me so I will tell you that we are traveling. There is so much to this world that those of you who fell from the Ark are unaware of. Staying cooped up within the fallen station and the very limited surrounding area hasn't allowed you to discover all that this world has to offer. Yes it's dangerous but so very beautiful. I spoke with Kane about improving relations with the Trikru at the very least so hopefully one day you can see it all.

  
I also ask that you listen to what's left of the 100. We were all promised that we would be pardoned for all crimes if we survived. We may have been pardoned by the law, but all of the adults still look down on us as worthless criminals. All of us have more knowledge than you know. It may not all fall within academic knowhow but we had to survive on the ground on our own. None of you know what it was really like to survive here. When the rest of you came down, we were mostly at peace. You didn't have to worry about not having any food or water. There were no warriors hiding within every shadow ready to kill you. I understand that you are clinging to the way things were and that included the fact that the adults knew better than the children. I get it but you need to realize that on the ground, the children of the 100 are the experienced ones. What worked in the sky doesn't work here. We shouldn't be so desperate to be the same as we were when we thought that we were the last of humanity. The people who live on the ground are not uncivilized just because their way of life is different. If you took a moment to observe their lives you would see a huge variety of people and so much love and happiness. Granted, war is a part of the culture but that isn't all there is.

  
I hope that when next we meet things are different. I hope that you can see that no matter what I look like on the outside or what spirit I'm connected to, it doesn't change who I am. I'm still your daughter even if I'm more grown up now. I stopped being a child the moment you sent me to ground...all of us did.

  
I'll see you soon mom and I love you.

  
Clarke'

 

Ignoring the tears in her eyes, she folded the letter up once again and got out of bed to get ready for the day. It was just as difficult to read that morning as it was when Bellamy handed it to her. She didn't know when she would see her daughter again and she was apprehensive on how the meeting would go when she finally did. Pushing those thoughts aside as she had every day, the doctor finished getting ready and headed out to begin her day.

* * *

  
It was midafternoon before Clarke reached the gates of Camp Jaha with her companions. The attempt was made to sleep in later for once but the only one who actually accomplished that was Octavia. The blonde snorted in amusement remembering the brunette that morning. She was still as stumbling and grumpy as when she woke up early on any other day. The three early risers had everything packed to go, the horses saddled, and breakfast prepared before the brunette even emerged from the room she shared with Lincoln. They left shortly after the meal was finished and headed towards the sky camp. Compared to her last venture there, the blonde was calm instead of nervous. She knew mostly what to expect with the remainder of the Skaikru. Dealing with her mother and those of them that were entirely anti-grounder wasn't something that would bother her. Perhaps it was fighting to the death so many times with so many bandits that made her immune to the anger or disapproval that she was bound to face in the camp.

 

  
_"Looks like the changed the name while we were gone."_ Octavia pointed out the new sign. 'Arcadia' that was placed over the gates. _"Apparently having the camp named after the insane and power hungry ex-Chancellor was no longer accepted."_

 

Looking at the new sign, Clarke smiled. The new name was fitting even though she liked the old one. Not because of the elder Jaha though. If only Wells had lived longer, Clarke thought he would have found the world that he was looking for. Before he died their world was full of war, violence, and death. He never got to see the peace and wonder the world had to offer. She hoped that he had found peace somewhere, someway and sincerely prayed that she never had to see the elder Jaha again. A clenched jaw was the only tell that displayed how much the blonde truly despised the man that killed her father and sacrificed children to the ground.

 

A commotion at the gate pulled all of their attentions. They tensed up as one, not wanting to have to face trigger happy guards once again. "Open the damn gate!" Bellamy could be heard clearly and rather loudly from within the camp. The women chuckled and shared a smirk at the ever calm and peaceful presence of the curly haired man. Octavia picked up speed as soon as the gate was opening and her brother squeezed himself through the slowly widening gap. The brunette leapt off her horse and launched herself at Bellamy. His eyes opened wide and he only had a moments notice to brace himself. They both thumped to the ground with the smaller sibling clinging to the other. The three observers quietly laughed at the display.

 

The blonde got off of her steed much more sedately but ran over to the still downed Blake's to join in on the dogpile. Which led to more laughter all around. They reveled in the easygoing and stress-free moment. Once satisfied in their welcoming, the girls stood up and each held a hand out for Bellamy. "Damn it Clarke, O. Easy with the merchandise." He took a moment to straighten out his mussed hair while his two sisters rolled their eyes at him. Reaching out to pull them into a much more gentle hug, he took a moment to bask in the fact that they were both there and safe. Even knowing that they could take care of themselves, it was a relief to observe their wellbeing with his own eyes. "I missed you guys. I hope you're planning on staying for a little while."

 

"Yup we are Bell. I missed you too you great big softie." Octavia felt her eyes tear up a bit. She quickly blinked the moisture away but it wasn't until that moment that she realized just how much she missed her brother. As she was attempting to hide the overwhelming emotion in her eyes, she felt Zion and Lincoln come up behind her with the horses. Each man greeted Bellamy warmly. The brunette saw Clarkes head move slowly to the side while her eyes were sharply staring at a point in the trees surrounding the camp. She sent a questioning look her way. The blonde subtly shook her head and smiled. The promise to explain later in her eyes. "Well come on. Let's go inside. The horses need rest and I could do with some food."

 

Clarke sighed. "O you literally just ate. Where the hell do you put it all?!"

 

Laughter bubbled up in Octavia's throat as she skipped ahead, pulling her brother along with her. It was getting near dinnertime and she wouldn't stop until she found some food. Her brother knew her too well and redirected her to the mess hall. He knew that she wouldn't have the patience to cook something or even wait for someone else to cook for her. Zion and Lincoln promised to meet up with them after stabling the horses but Clarke followed. The brunette knew that she was still wary of what the sky people may try to do against the two grounders regardless of the fact that Lincoln was already adopted into the camp.

 

Once the horses were groomed, watered, and fed, the three headed into the mess hall. They quickly grabbed some food and sat at the table Octavia had snagged. Raven, Bellamy, Monty, and a few other delinquents were already seated when they arrived. Joyful greetings were traded with more than a few hugs tossed in. The blonde found that not as many eyes followed her on the current visit and it was an easy thing to ignore it all in favor of giving all of her attention to her friends. She loved the mission that she and her group were partaking in and being able to spend so much time with them but she still missed her friends in the camp. It wasn't nearly as difficult to be around them as it was previously. There was no nerves present when she met the eyes of someone that was held within the mountain. She didn't see flashes of the bloody bodies of the mountain men when she looked at the Skaikru. It was a relief to the blonde. She knew that she was healing the last time that she entered camp but it was still hard for her. Accepting that her decisions were necessary was completely different from living with those decisions. Apparently during the two months away from her previous people she healed almost completely. Having to fight and kill to protect herself, her group, and the innocents targeted most likely helped her come to terms on a level that she couldn't reach before. She understood even better that on the ground, war precedes peace. Enemies must be slain to ensure the safety of the people. _Blood may be death, but more importantly it is life._ She smirked internally at that thought and the beginnings of her new motto. It was a much better view on life than 'love is weakness'.

 

Once everyone was finished, Raven stood to get the tables attention. _"So how about we get out of here. You need to regale us with stories of your time away."_ Getting agreement from each of them, Raven led the way to the delinquent portion of the camp with a smooth gait. The mechanic had decided to get rid of the brace on her leg. She explained that Zion had healed her like Clarke recommended and everyone of those from the Ark never questioned it. The delinquents on the other hand were much more curious. She didn't want to out the blondes secret however, so she just explained that Zion had traveled a lot and picked up some interesting things along the way. There was no reason for her to lie about it so they seemed to believe her. People were now just used to her being able to walk without a brace and stopped sending looks of awe to her leg. There was an extra bounce in her step as they grew closer to the back of the camp. She was excited to show off the area.

 

Instead of several fire pits and medium sized tents, the space had been drastically changed. The delinquents decided that they would prefer to all stay together and remain outside of the fallen Ark so they set up their own tiny town of tents. There were several large tents set up that could house up to ten people at once although they usually had less per tent. Inside each, the sides and floor were covered in furs to preserve the heat generated from the fire drum set in the middle of the interior. Raven had helped design pallets for a mattress that were raised off of the ground. She didn't normally like working with wood but her love of drawing up plans and building made up for it. The other delinquents learned how to skin and prepare the furs through trial and error. No matter the inexperience, they managed to make furs to insolate the tents and for blankets. The plan was to build more permanent structures when the weather was warmer but there were concerns about space. Even sharing, there were far too many people to fit in the small portion of the camp that they took over as their own. They had talked about maybe setting up their own space outside of Arcadia but having the adults agree would be impossible and they weren't sure on how the relations were with the Trikru.

 

Clarke and Octavia stared in awe as they toured the area. The place was so different than the last time they had been there. It was amazing to see how much work they put into in and the fact that they decided to band together even with the rest of the Ark there. The things that they went through together on the ground created bonds that no one else would be able to understand. They shared fighting for survival against both man and beast, absolute terror, war and battles, death and sickness. The adults that came down thought that they understood but none of them knew what actually happened before they fell from the sky as well. The connection that it forged was something that would always remain. Being together gave them comfort. They were like veteran soldiers that found family with others that fought with them and understood exactly what they went through. There was no need to discuss the gory details, they simply knew the monsters that lurked in the darkest parts of their souls. The ones that would do anything to save each other and themselves. If one were to really look, they could see the broken pieces and smoking edges of the torn down and rebuilt souls within their eyes. Somehow all of their broken pieces fit together perfectly and made each of them stronger. They had no plans to split up again but they needed to figure out how to build a permanent home.

 

"We had an extra tent set up for when you guys visit. Hope you don't mind sharing." Bellamy pointed to the tent he mentioned. It was slightly smaller than the large ones but would have plenty of room for the four of them. They entered the tent to drop off their packs. The interior was sparsely decorated with only pallets and a fire drum but it was made cozy with the furs pinned up on the inside walls and scattered over the ground. Outside, Bellamy waited to lead them to the others. He brought them to a central tent in the area that was the largest of all of them. It had furs and cushions scattered all over the floor with some chairs pushed in the corners. There were several fire drums throughout and vents made in the thick fabric to let the smoke out. It was clearly a place made for the delinquents to gather together, drink, and enjoy each others company. The newcomers smiled while taking in the space and their friends lounging about.

 

Spinning slowly around, Octavia took in the tent. "Nice job guys. This is great!" She laughed as Raven high fived Bellamy for the compliment. Raven decided to explain how each of them contributed to the amazing set up. All of the trial and error and hard work put into it. Every person helped make the space their own, separate from the rest of the people from the Ark. While the remaining 100 most likely didn't consider themselves grounders like Octavia and Clarke, they clearly didn't seem to consider themselves completely a part of the sky people either. It was sad to see that the very best people in the camp were stuck around those that didn't accept or appreciate them.

 

More delinquents filtered in as the night passed while drinks were steadily being poured and handed out. Calls requesting stories from their time away were being shouted at Clarke. She was hesitant to tell them all that happened. Knowledge that her friends accepted her no matter the choices she had made and the things that she had done didn't stop the uneasy feeling she got. The past two months were full of battles, blood, and death. She wasn't sure if she wanted to make that into a grand adventure and see the possible horrified looks her friends would send her way. _Ugh! That's ridiculous. It's not like they didn't already know what we were going to do in the first place. And they have never looked at me like a monster. Even after the mountain._ She ignored the pang that shot through her chest and the taunting whisper of Jaspers name floating in her skull. There was no need to dwell over the reminder thoughts of the boy brought up. For just a brief moment though she actually felt annoyance more than regret. Frowning internally at that she decided to think more on the changing emotions later. Apparently Octavia took it upon herself to entertain their friends with stories of their many battles while the blondes mind wandered in indecision. She couldn't really complain though. Even though she knew that her friends would be okay with what happened, the small kernel of doubt made her want to just abruptly change the subject.

 

Speaking loudly and jumping about acting out certain parts of the tale, Octavia was in her element. Growing up the way that she did made her adore having the love and attention of her friends while she could give them the same. The captive audience gasped and cheered in all of the appropriate moments, they were entirely wrapped up in not only the danger and excitement but in the amazing storytelling. They frequently looked to the other three sitting together as though to confirm whether or not all the parts in the tale actually happened. Clarke simply smiled and nodded along. She was happy to let Octavia have her fun while also not so subtly boasting her own skills. There were many stories at the brunettes disposal and as her audience was fully enthralled, she continued the stories into the night.

 

Clarke was sitting on a fur on the ground with her legs stretched out in front of her and leaning back on her hands. Her head was rolled back and her eyes were closed as she relaxed and listened in on her friends. She was warm with food and moonshine and comforted by being surrounded by her loved ones. Being jostled by Raven violently flopping in her lap, she playfully growled at the girl but refused to open her eyes. A sharp and constant poking in her ribs caused her to crack one eye open and glare. The mechanic paused before cackling. "Careful there little bird. I may decide to bite you. And I could make it hurt." The blonde smiled widely down at the girl in her lap to expose her sharp fangs.

 

"Oh come on! You know you love me!" Raven scrambled up so that she was sitting in the blondes lap. She flung her arms around her friend and squeezed her close. Ignoring the halfhearted attempts to shove her away, the mechanic hugged her friend closer. "And don't lie, you missed me in all of my awesome glory!" Laughing at the grumbling she received for an answer, she decided to take pity on the blonde and moved to sit beside her instead of on top of her.

 

Leaning her head on the mechanics shoulder, Clarke closed her eyes and sighed happily in her contentment. "You know I missed you Rae." No other words were needed. They created their own little bubble that was drenched in happy feelings from each of them. Several times in the two months away she had wanted to stop by the camp just to visit her sister. She had missed her more than she would care to admit. The mechanic, while being blunt and arrogant, was the most caring and kind hearted person she knew. Even if she tried to hide it beneath snark and sarcasm.

 

Just like any other time the blonde showered Raven with words or actions of care, warmth spread through the mechanics body. She was so happy to have Clarke there and she had missed her sister dearly. Only having family that didn't appreciate her or put her first really made her that much more thankful to have the blonde in her life. Her father was never there, her mother was an abusive alcoholic, and even Finn turned against her in the end by cheating on her only days after being sent to the ground. The blonde, from the very beginning, promised that she would always pick Raven first and not once had Clarke gone back on that. Even when Finn was killed, the mechanic knew Clarke had only done it to save her from listening and watching as he was given a slow and painful death. No matter the obstacles or tragedies that occurred, she knew that they would always stick together. "So you faced off with cheekbones huh? Did she totally kick your ass?"

 

An exasperated sigh was released. Clarke rolled her eyes. She knew that Raven would only be Raven by ruining a wonderful and emotional reunion with her sass. "You heard the story well enough from O. She waited to observe us and then barged in with her warriors to help finish off the bandits, we chatted, burned some bodies, and left." She huffed at the pointed look sent her way. "It wasn't anything more than that. She didn't recognize us and I refused to answer some of her questions or stick around. I didn't need her to find out who we were."

 

"You do realize that you guys can't hide who you are forever right? At some point someone is going to see your face and know who you are. I don't know if you knew this but you're kind of a big deal to the grounders what with easily destroying an army sent to kill us all and by taking out a 100 year old untouchable enemy. And you think they won't know Lincoln? From what I've seen, they don't take too kindly to those they consider traitors." Raven pulled no punches. She understood her friends desire to remain unnamed. That was the only time that people weren't thrusting their own hopes and desires on her to make them into a reality. But she knew that it couldn't go on. Someone would discover who the unnamed vigilantes were and the mechanic had a feeling that it should be something that Clarke and the others agree to share before that would happen.

 

The blonde smiled. The topic was serious but she couldn't help but enjoy her friend always delivering her points so bluntly and straight forward. "Trust me, I do know that. Let's just say that I want to wait until the time is right. That and I'm enjoying being no one for once. Right now, the only people who are after us are the bandits but once they know who we are there will be a lot more people after us for a lot of other ridiculous reasons. From what we have picked up so far, no one knows that the winged woman is Wanheda or who her companions are. I'm not looking forward to being hunted once they do and honestly I'm more worried for Lincoln. He can take care of himself and we will do everything we can to protect him but you're right about the issues that will arise since the grounders see him as a traitor." Clarke shut her eyes. She didn't want to think about it too much. The worry for Lincoln was always at the forefront of her mind. He had already gone through so much with them and at times because of them. Saving Octavia resulted in him being attacked and tortured by the delinquents and the blonde didn't do anything to stop it. His status as traitor was given only after he defied orders to help the sky people in their time of need. The man was so caring and displayed so much empathy that the blonde still found it amazing that being born on the ground allowed him to continue with what others would view as weakness. In reality, Lincoln was the strongest person the blonde knew. His desire to remain good despite the hardships he faced and the training drilled into him was inspiring. She knew that she would do absolutely anything to protect him at all times no matter who was attacking him. Without his information, they wouldn't have known about the sickness sent to the delinquent camp; and while he wasn't instrumental in taking down the mountain, he was the only one to stick by their side as was agreed in the alliance. That gained absolute respect from Clarke and she would always consider him one of her people.

 

The mechanic could see the strain on the blondes face. Since the moment they landed, Clarke had been thrust into a position to take care of everyone. Even though the 100 despised the blonde due to her status on the Ark, each of them saw that she would do what needed to be done to keep them safe no matter the personal sacrifices that she had to make. Witnessing that garnered trust that grew to respect in the delinquents. They would follow her to the ends of the earth and back if she asked. Raven didn't want her friend to wallow in the negative thoughts so she lightly shoved her and wrapped her arm across her shoulders. "It will all work out. You always seem to wiggle your way out of tricky situations and I'm sure you have a plan anyways. You wouldn't be you if you didn't. And Lincoln. He's a survivor and I'm sure he is well aware of what he may face when you guys head out." She waited until the blonde nodded in reluctant acceptance. She sighed in exasperation. "I thought you would realize by now that you can't save everyone. People are going to make their own choices and there isn't a damn thing that you can do about that."

 

"I know Rae. I guess it's been easier to ignore that feeling when it was just the four of us out there. I didn't have to worry about so much. It was peace and planning before the battle began and the only thing I thought about when fighting was protecting myself and the other three if they were around me. It was simple and single minded." Clarke relaxed against Ravens side again. She enjoyed being able to relax and simply bask in her sisters company. "I don't think I'm as bad as I used to be. Since I've decided to change my loyalties to everyone instead of just you guys it makes it easier to get out of that mindset."

 

A scoff and playful frown graced the mechanics face. "Gee thanks Griffin. It's nice to know how you really feel about us."

 

Clarke elbowed her friend in the ribs in response. "You're an ass Raven." She rolled her eyes skyward and attempted to keep a stern expression but she was unable to control the twitch to her lips. Apparently the blondes hidden amusement didn't escape her friends notice. The smirk that crossed Ravens face confirmed it. "But an ass that I love. Don't ever change."

 

"Pfft. Don't worry about that. In no universe would I ever change my amazing personality. I wouldn't deprive any of you the privilege of simply being in my awesome presence." To emphasize her point she spread her arms wide and vestured wildly to herself. A raised eyebrow was the only response to the disbelieving look on the blondes face as if to ask 'are you going to try to even deny it?' She smirked in victory when Clarke sighed and nodded.

 

The silence that fell between them was easy and peaceful. They sat watching the rest of their friends in the large tent with small smiles on their faces. It wasn't that long ago that most of them didn't even know each other but seeing them then, one would never know that. They went from various and sometimes troubled lives in the sky where they were underappreciated to being attacked almost everyday when on the ground. Now there was a noticeable lack of tense shoulders and constantly searching eyes. It wasn't completely gone though as the majority of the sky people weren't the most trustworthy and the ones in the tent knew that from firsthand experience but at least they had the assurance that the other delinquents would stick up for them and literally take a bullet to protect them. That in and of itself was something that most of them hadn't ever had before. Not one of them took it for granted either as they understood that loyalty and trust was earned through more hardships than any of the other people from the sky could ever understand.

 

A bouncing blur tumbled towards the two still sitting friends. Octavia barreled straight into the both of them effectively tackling them into the floor. Grumbles and curses flew from both Clarke and Ravens mouths while their attacker laughed wildly.

 

"Dammit O! Have you been sniffing my rocket fuel? I told you to stay out of my workshop when I'm not there!" The mechanic scowled halfheartedly at the other girl as she shoved her off so she could sit up again.

 

Giggles escaped the warrior as she was roughly pushed at while her two friends worked on righting themselves. She simply smiled as the two looked at each other having a silent conversation that she was sure was asking about her sanity. Although she didn't think of the camp as home, she found home in the company of her brother and her friends. In the sky, she never had what she found on the ground. People that actually knew her, those that she loved and who loved her in return. She found that she missed them all more than she expected. They had only known each other for a few months but their friendships were forged in the fires of tragedy, suffering, and more importantly surviving. She stared expectantly at the other two until they made room between them. As soon as there was just enough space she wedged herself in the middle. A long suffering sigh was released from Raven.

 

"Oh come on Rae. The little sister is allowed to do as she pleases." Clarke smiled fondly at Octavia before her smile turned mischievous. "And that includes being annoying and shoving her way in the middle of everything." She was amused as she watched Octavia's smile turn into a scowl and Raven let out her typical cackling laughter.

 

Octavia stuck her bottom lip out in a ridiculous pout and pulled out her best puppy dog eyes. "Don't you guys love me?" Deciding to go all out, the brunette quivered her lip as though she was holding back tears. Knowing that Clarke was used to her trying to use that look to get her way, she turned the look on Raven.

 

The mechanics face immediately softened and she pulled the younger girl closer to her. "Of course we do O." Despite the chuckles from the blonde for falling for Octavia's ploy and the smirk gracing the warriors face, she still held her close.

 

"Oh! I've been meaning to ask you Clarke. What were you looking at when we got here earlier?" That had been bothering her. Octavia noticed her friend directing her attention in the woods surrounding the camp but when she looked herself, she didn't see anything.

 

The blonde smirked. She saw the question in the other girls face as soon as it happened and was honestly surprised it had taken her that long to ask. "It was a scout. I saw him the last time we were here as well. He knew that I saw him and just nodded his head. Since he didn't try to hide or sound an alarm, I doubt there is anything to worry about." Clarke couldn't help but roll her eyes at the ensuing argument that sprung up with the two girls. They wanted to know what it meant, what the scout was doing there, how long had they been watching. She was honest though when she said she wasn't worried. If she were in the commanders shoes and she had betrayed an alliance with the skaikru, she would have people watching too.

 

The rest of the night passed easily. The group of the three girls grew as more people joined in and the conversation swelled to include them. Stories were told and conversation topics ebbed and flowed. As the space was warm and there were already so many furs and cushions, they all decided to sleep there together. They reveled in being together and being able to all sleep in the same space reminded them of when they first landed.

* * *

  
Dark grey clouds covered the sky and the still rising sun the next morning. Even though the clouds looked to be threatening a storm, the air was cold and still. A light layer of frost covered the ground, the sun not yet having the time to burn away the ice crystals in its heat. Clarke and Zion were already outside over a roaring fire preparing the morning meal for all of the delinquents still asleep in the tent. It took some convincing to get the normal morning chef to release so much meat and other ingredients to them but after explaining that she was going to be cooking for so many and who exactly she was doing it for, the cook happily handed everything over. More than likely happy that they wouldn't have to cook for the constantly hungry teenagers at least for that morning. The two easily worked around each other getting all of the food prepared and they continued cooking as the delinquents emerged in ones and twos and served themselves.

 

Octavia walked out of the tent and stood next to the blonde while she finished cooking. "So what's the plan today?"

 

"I need to speak with Kane this morning but other than that nothing really. Did you have something in mind?" Clarke knew that she needed to touch base with the Chancellor on what they spoke about the last time she visited. There had been no altercations with any of the sky people and Zion so she had hope that having a level headed and respectful leader in addition to continued peace was calming down the residents in the camp.

 

The brunette screwed up her face in distaste. While she knew that from a political perspective it was important to make sure the whole camp behaved themselves and acted respectfully to the natives of the ground, she didn't know why the blonde would actively go out of her way to get involved. She supposed that was a perfect example of her being only a warrior as Wanheda pointed out to her in a rather thorough tongue lashing. Regardless, she would not want to be in the blondes place. She cared for the wellbeing of her friends but she hadn't considered herself Skaikru in a long time so she didn't particularly care how they fared unless it directly impacted her friends. Even then, she would be more likely to encourage them to separate from the rest of the sky people than pointlessly try to get the rest of Skaikru to understand and accept life on the ground. "Well I was thinking about going on a hunt later today with Raven." She smirked at the shocked look on the blondes face. "And get this, she isn't bringing a gun. Last night, she mentioned she wanted to learn the bow so we are going to work on that today and put it to practice."

 

Clarke hummed. "That's a great idea. The guns aren't going to last forever so it's good that someone wants to learn." She paused in thought. "Do you think the others will want to learn too?"

 

"I know that every single one of us would but I doubt the rest of them will want to. You know since guns are so much more superior and all." Even on the ground, those who fell from the Ark were stuck in the way things were in the sky. The thought annoyed the brunette but she was used to underestimating them and never being surprised about them never exceeded her expectations.

 

Amusement shined from Clarkes face. She could tell just from Octavia's face exactly what she was thinking. Not that she had any higher hopes for the adults. "I'll talk to Kane about excusing them from their duties for the day if they want to join." She was happy that at least one wanted to learn more and hoped that some of the others did as well. Her concern was more towards the delinquents in general and not so much for the rest of them. Although she did still feel worry for her previous people, she didn't really consider them hers anymore. It was more like they were just another group of people on the ground that she would protect but she would have no qualms about protecting others from them either.

 

Octavia made the rounds asking about the delinquents interest in learning some ground skills for the day while they were eating. The blonde quickly ate her own food and informed Zion of the plans for the day. He agreed to clean up their mess and watched her walk off to speak with the official leader of the Skaikru. The man had doubts that anyone else would fill the shoes as he was sure the blonde did but he wholeheartedly accepted her decision to separate herself from them and make her own path.

* * *

  
The remainder of the day was spent training on how to use a bow to those of the 100 that wished to learn. Octavia, Zion, and Lincoln worked with them for a hour before Clarke joined them after her meeting with Kane. With their guidance, the delinquents became acquainted with the method to sting and hold a bow and how to aim and fire an arrow. None of them were very skilled just yet and were well aware that it would take time and practice to master the technique but they were thrilled to have learned the basics. The only one who could consistently hit on or near the target was Raven. Her brilliant mind examined her instructors motions and made the necessary adjustments to her own in the attempt to match it. While it did work for the most part, she still needed practice to gain the muscle memory and to build up the required muscles to handle the bow more effectively.

 

After several hours passed, Raven asked to go on a short hunt to put her building skills into practice. The others decided to stay back in the camp but Clarke, Octavia, Lincoln, and Zion agreed. As soon as they left the camp and headed into the woods, Raven and Octavia led the way. The warrior was showing her how to step silently and move effortlessly no matter the surroundings while she also pointed out tracks and other indications of animals moving throughout the area. The men stayed a few steps behind them with Clarke.

 

Pulled to a stop, Clarke looked in surprise to Lincoln. He had his hand lightly on her arm to stop her from walking further while sporting an unsure look on his face. While he looked uneasy, his eyes never left hers as he steeled himself. The blonde wasn't sure what was happening. She hadn't seen or heard anything that would be cause them to halt nor had she done anything to cause the man to look at her that way. Deciding to give him the lead, she simply quirked an eyebrow in question while remaining quiet. Suddenly, Lincoln released her arm and dropped down to his knees before her. Shock froze her. There was no reason that she could see for her friends behavior and she wasn't sure how to handle the very unclear and confusing situation that was happening right before her eyes. She opened her mouth to ask him what was going on but he spoke before she could.

 

  
_"Klark, not so long ago you refused to kill me in order to remove an enemy. You told me then that I was your people. In all of my life, I have never found a leader that would put my life above winning a battle but you did so without a second thought. You have offered your life and freely given your soul to save and protect your people. I was so proud to be one of the people of Klark kom Skaikru. Now, I wish to be one of the people of Klark kom Kru."_ Lincoln withdrew the sword from his back and held it up in offering with one hand holding the hilt and the other supporting the blade. _"I offer my life in your service for I know that you would never take it for granted. I offer my blade to you for your cause is always just. I offer my blood for you were the one to bring me back to life."_

 

Silence spread thickly after the declaration and the quick translation given to Raven. Every person stared with wide eyes at Clarke waiting for her response, they could feel the sincerity and how momentous the occasion was. The blonde blinked rapidly against the wetness in her eyes as she focused on her friend. It was shocking to hear what Lincoln had to say. Not that she wasn't aware of his loyalties; it was just altogether different to hear the words spoken out loud. Even though the thought of having someone, especially a friend, in her service offering up their very life was unpleasant, she understood what the request really was. It was a man raised in a brutal life finding acceptance, friendship, and loyalty in a leader that he knew would never take that very offering for granted. She didn't consider herself a leader any longer and she knew that Lincoln understood that as well but the intent and meaning was still the same. Moving on instinct, Clarke gently removed the sword from his grasp with her left hand and grabbed the blade firmly in her right hand. _"I accept your service, life, and blood."_ The blonde slowly pulled the sword and hardly felt the blade as it sliced her palm. The silver blood weeping from the wound coating the blade thoroughly from the hilt to the tip as it was moved. _"I offer my blood for your service. To this day, I meant what I told you. My loyalty could never be bought, it was something that you earned. I will do everything in my power to ensure you never regret your choice today. As you serve me, I will serve you Linkon kom Kru."_

 

Eyes shining in gratitude, Lincoln took back the offered sword and stood. He wasn't entirely confident going into that as he knew that regardless of how the blonde was then she was raised in a different culture and might not be receptive to his pledge. Once again, his friend surprised him. She took the words and request very seriously while also understanding that he wanted it to be official. He was always one of her people but he needed her to know and wanted others to know that he was aligned completely with the blonde. Not just because of who she was or is, but because she was fiercely loyal and just. He knew that once she considered someone hers, she would fight tooth and nail to protect them. That was beyond admirable to him and he would willingly follow her for her actions and beliefs.

 

They all took a moment to absorb the massive thing that just happened before continuing on. It wasn't much longer before they tracked a herd of deer and took down two. Raven soaked up as much information as she could in learning how to read tracks. She even hit one of the deer with an arrow, although it wasn't a kill shot it was still impressive for it only being the first day of handling a bow. They moved back to camp with the deer tied to a thick branch each. One being carried by Octavia and Lincoln while the other was between Zion and Raven. Clarke took up position to defend them if necessary. Once the gates to Arcadia were in view, the blonde stopped. Her friends turned to look at her to figure out why she wasn't moving on towards the camp. Their curiosity turned quickly to concern when they saw the severe grimace marring the blondes features. Raven was the one to speak. "What's wrong?"

 

"We must leave. Now." Clarke was overwhelmed but took a moment to see the confusion on her friends faces and attempt to curb it. "I can feel them again but it's so much worse this time. It feels like acid on my skin and running through my veins while an icepick is trying to enter my mind."

 

The explanation cleared up the confusion for everyone save Raven. She wasn't familiar with the new sense that the blonde had been having in regards to the bandits but she held off on asking about it only because of the worry on the others faces. Immediately Zion stepped closer to the blonde. "Where is it coming from?" He watched Clarke point to the east. "How far?"

 

"No more than a couple of hours at most. It's happening now. We won't be able to save them in time." Clarke grimaced as another wave of absolute wrongness assaulted her. Her breathing sped up thinking about what the people would suffer through until they made it there. If the feeling was so much worse than the last time, she couldn't begin to imagine what kind of people it was coming from. Vaguely, she noticed Zion reach out an arm to guide her into the camp. He directed the guards at the gate to take the deer and sent the others to prepare. Veering off to inform Bellamy, Raven was the first to leave. Lincoln went to ready the horses while the other three went to the tents to gather their things. While all of them were rushed, they didn't allow themselves to run in order to avoid alarming the other people walking about.

 

After everything was gathered, they headed back to the gates. Lincoln had the horses ready and Bellamy and Raven were standing beside him. Clarke moved over to speak with them. She knew that they would need some kind of explanation for leaving so quickly but she wasn't willing to spend much time elaborating. There would be another time where they could ask all the questions they wanted. "I'm sorry but we must leave. I can't explain it right now but when I'm back again you can ask everything you want. All I can say is that I know there are some very bad people attacking innocents as we speak and we need to get there as soon as possible. Even now, I'm not sure that we will make it in time." She pulled each in for a short but tight hug. "I still have the radio so we'll get in touch soon. Please tell everyone that I'm sorry I couldn't say bye to them but this is important."

 

The two were passed over to Octavia for a fast farewell before they each mounted their horses, headed out of the camp, and turned east. Clarke noticed that the scout was nowhere to be found but she didn't dwell on it. The need to hurry was too prevalent. Their horses were used to traveling in the woods and had no trouble traversing them at a fast pace. The blonde was slightly nervous about this. The urgency to get there now was intense but they had no plan. There was no scouting the area out or setting up an ambush. For the first time they would be going in completely blind and the fact that it would happen when she receiving such a terrible feeling was unsettling. There was nothing to be done about it though. She knew that people were being hurt then, she could feel it in the air, and she needed to help them. A look to her companions showed that they were just as invested. There was no worry or unease about the situation on any of their faces. The blonde took a deep breath to center herself and directed her horse to take up the speed another notch.

 

The shadows in the trees grew as the sun set. Clarke thoroughly checked her weapons. Each was in the proper place and nothing was hindering easy access to any of the deadly blades. She could feel that they were almost where the smothering feeling originated from. Just as she was about to stop and prepare to hide her identity and race into battle, she heard movement in the trees near her. Pulling hard on the reins, the blonde violently halted her horse and gripped its flanks tightly with her thighs to avoid being thrown. She could see around eight men streaming through the woods towards them and it only took a few moments for them to reach her. Cursing herself harshly for getting distracted in her haste, Clarke vaulted off her steed while drawing both swords. She was annoyed that she hadn't noticed the incoming threat. All of her focus was on where she was in relation to the bandits she knew were terrorizing innocents and the absolute need to get there as quickly as was possible. Once Octavia, Lincoln, and Zion responded to the threat with her the few bandits in the area were easily eliminated.

 

The blonde looked to her friends. None of them were prepared for what they were about to walk into. The break that they took within Arcadia was cut short and there wasn't enough time to recoup from everything that they had gone through. None of them had their hoods on and she knew that taking the time to locate them in their packs was time that they really couldn't waste. People were in need immediately. The faint screams not too much further from them only gave proof to that. She could only hope that none of the people recognized them and that no warriors came to assist as they would be the most likely to know her face. Deciding to let things fall where they may she turned to the couple and gave out instructions quickly. _"O, Link. You guys stay on the perimeter. We don't have time to hide ourselves and we really don't need people trying to kill Linkon while this is happening only because of his status with the Trikru. Zion and I will head directly into the middle. If there is a problem with us we will whistle out an alert; the same goes for you."_

 

Brief nods were the only response and they all immediately split up and ran into position. The warrior couple would head around the area taking out any member of the bandit party that was securing the woods while the blonde and Zion would stealthily sneak right into the action taking down anyone that crossed their paths. The village being attacking came into view and Clarke stumbled slightly. Her eyes were wide in horror. She could see large filthy men adorned in thick furs prowling inside the settlement. There were women and children tied up as they watched their men being slowly and brutally killed. In other areas men were tied up and they were forced to witness the bandits force themselves upon their women and even some children. The bandits not actively engaging in restraining or brutalizing walked around and laughed cruelly at the agonizing screams of the people. Clarke growled lowly. She only let herself feel horrified for a moment before she embraced her cold, burning fury. Zion watched the change wash over the blonde and allowed it to burn away the devastation he felt at viewing the poor people in the village. With a silent agreement, each moved silently into the village and readied for a fight.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this update but the chapter has about 22,000 words to make up for it. Let me know what you think please!
> 
> I have added German into the chapter but I am no where near a fluent speaker in the language. If you happen to be, please forgive the errors and I can happily direct your complaints to google translate.

"Heda."

 

The commander looked up from the table she was leaning over. Both her and Anya were studying the maps displaying the border between Trikru and Azgeda lands. The issues with the bandits were increasing as time went by and Lexa knew, although the Azgeda claimed to have no knowledge of the attacks, there was no doubt that Nia was behind them. The ice queen knew that she wouldn't be able to win a war against the entirety of the coalition so instead she tried to cause terror and destruction to Lexa's clan. Anya had been out in the lands doing her best to protect their people but it seemed as though the bandits targeted any unprotected village or travelers they came across. It was beyond difficult to create a strategy when each group of bandits worked independently and at random. There was no clear direction to point their warriors in.

 

A scout entered the tent and bowed his head. He had been sent by his first to update the commander on the location of Wanheda. After the last time that Sef lost Wanheda, he was hesitant to leave to deliver the news of her sighting. The latest mission to keep watch on the sky people camp and waiting for the blonde to show up was handled differently. Sef made sure that he wasn't the only one there in case she was found. Although he was included in the many missions in locating the blonde, he still found it difficult to believe that a sky person was able to elude the best trackers in the clan. All of the other Skaikru traveled through the woods like a herd of baby paunas. Leaving tracks and disturbed foliage was always left in their wake. Somehow Wanheda had been able to disguise her movements and erase all traces of herself. He assumed that she had help. There was no other way that he could think of to make the blonde so proficient at hiding. He waited until he was acknowledged to continue. _"Sef sent me to provide information on Wanheda. We were scouting in the woods surrounding the sky people camp in the hopes that she would return to her people. Yesterday, Wanheda returned with three others to the camp. Once we determined that they weren't leaving again the same day, I was sent to notify you while Sef remained behind. He will keep watch in case she disappears again."_  


 

Keeping her face entirely passive, Lexa thanked the scout and dismissed him to eat and rest. Inside, the commander was tensed and shaking. It had been two months since anyone had seen Clarke and despite the overwhelming evidence, or lack thereof, that the blonde may have been dead, she never believed it. She couldn't imagine a world in which the blonde didn't exist. Anya looked shrewdly at her but she simply ignored it. It was a struggle to keep the near bursting emotions inside, she didn't need to focus on what her general may be reading in her face. To most, she would look like she had everything under control, like the news didn't affect her. But her old mentor knew her better than most and would see the struggle that she was facing. She gave up the façade when her breath hitched. Closing her eyes tight and clenched her fists, Lexa let the overwhelming feelings surge through her. _She's alive. Thank the spirits she's alive._ A single tear escaped her closed lids.

 

  
_"Leksa."_ Anya watched the commander shake her head in the attempt to avoid having her so-called weakness discussed. The general was never one to believe that love was weakness. In fact, she had several sharp arguments with Titus about that. He taught the commander to believe that she must be alone. That having any intimate connections with lovers, friends, or family would make her a poor and weak leader. The most frustrating part was that Lexa didn't fully buy into it until she had lost Costia to Nia. That one defining moment was what made her start to believe in that nonsense to an extreme extent and the vile man took advantage of her pain and sorrow to convince her that he had been right all along. She, on the other hand, tried her best to remove that conviction from her seken. She wouldn't allow the commander to shove this aside as well. Watching the commander fall apart over the past two months simply over the news that there was no sign of the sky girl was painful. Regardless of the short amount of time that they had spent together, the general could plainly see that much more had happened between the two of them than was shared with the public. She figured that the majority of her pain was because she caused the blonde to completely destroy the mountain with her choice to accept the deal from the maunon and due to that she left her people and disappeared. _"I understand that you feel responsible for the sky girls decisions but you did what was needed to be done. The choices that she made after that are solely on her."_  


 

The commander sharply looked at the general. _"That may be so Onya however she wouldn't have had to make that choice if I hadn't left. She is a leader yes but she was not raised as such and the burden of so many lives that she personally destroyed are bound to be too much for her to bear."_ Lexa sighed deeply. _"We made an agreement to work together to take down the mountain and rescue all of our people. I left her standing on that mountain knowing that her people and most likely Clarke as well would die."_  


 

  
_"You must know that you did what you needed to in order to save the people who depend on you. No matter what agreements or alliances may have been present, they are not your people."_ Although she could understand the strain this put on he commander, Anya was adamant that she made the correct choice. There were few options and she made the one that ensured all of her people survived.

 

A hollow laugh escaped Lexas throat. _"Ah but it was so much worse than that."_ She paused to think about the time before. When the sky people first landed, she had so many reports on their actions and movements as well as the woman who led them. She didn't quite believe the stories until she joined some of her scouts around their camp. _"Do you remember the reports we received about the sky children and their leader? Somehow a girl who was clearly disliked amongst her people managed to keep most of them alive and well. The reports were about a girl with sunshine in her hair who had such fierce passion and conviction within her that the fire of her determination made her blue eyes shine and almost made her very skin glow. They told about how the children were rebellious, shortsighted, and out of control. In the midst of their chaos was a girl who was consistently calm and who drew the others in almost like magic. Of course I didn't believe it. When you sent the fever to their camp, I joined in with the scouts. I watched her immediately separate the sick and tend to them even knowing that she would become ill. Shortly after, the blood began dripping from her eyes and nose. Even that couldn't stop her from helping the others. They didn't even lose one to the fever. You should know quite well that that is unusual."_  


 

Anya watched the awe in her friends eyes however she couldn't hide the deep pain it caused her. She didn't know that Lexa went to the camp to observe. Like the commander, she received the reports of the sky fallen as well. It wasn't all that interesting to her though. She simply viewed them as inexperienced invaders that needed to be dealt with swiftly. Being thwarted at every turn was just as surprising as it was frustrating. The general could see that were she felt annoyance at the blondes constant survival, her friend had felt intrigue. She furrowed her brow thinking while the commander continued.

 

  
_"You should have seen her during the war preparations. She was absolutely fearless. No matter who she faced, she never backed down. For someone with no combat experience to face off with every clan general was equal parts stupid and impressive. I got to see the fire in her eyes each day as we planned and argued. I remember thinking that there was nothing in this world that could take away her fire and determination. It was a sight to behold Onya. But I was wrong."_ Lexa clenched her fists and shut her eyes tightly. _"I saw her standing before the door to the mountain with my army at her back. She looked at me and it was nearly blinding. Every warrior there was infected by her. She would look them in the eyes and it was as if her fire was passed on to them. They stood even straighter, held their weapons tighter, and were coiled to jump at her command. When I reached her and told her that I made the decision to leave with all of my people, that the decision was made not with my heart but instead my head, I saw that fire go out. It was as though my very words sucked out her very soul. Her eyes dimmed and her very hair and skin no longer shined bright. I robbed her of her very desire to fight and survive."_  


 

The general was frozen in shock. She had never heard he commander speak in such a way about anyone. Not even Costia. It was plain to see that she blamed herself for more than backing out of an alliance. _"Leksa. You had to make the best choice for your people. I'm sure that she understood that."_  


 

Lexa scoffed at her mentor. _"I'm sure she understood that on a professional level. But it was so much worse than that."_ She saw the questioning look thrown her way. _"Before we marched on the mountain I kissed her. It was more than I have ever felt with any person and that was from just a kiss. I asked her to come to Polis with me and she agreed. It was so much more than just a betrayal of one leader to another. When I was with her it felt as though I could breathe again which is something I haven't felt since I was discovered to be a natblida. I could feel my heart escaping the cage it has been in as long as I can remember. For the first time, I wanted to give all of myself to another."_  


 

  
_"Oh Leksa."_ It was much worse than she thought. It was common knowledge that the commander had a lover in Costia and after she was killed, Lexa had taken many women to her bed. The commanders prowess in bed was well known but she never gave anything of herself. Even with Costia, Lexa would only show affection in private but she never opened herself completely up. Not with her heart nor her body. It was much more than she gave any other lover, she truly did love Costia but the general didn't think that it was an all encompassing love. More so one of comfort and familiarity. Never had Lexa wanted to give all of herself to anyone and the fact that she wanted to do so with the blonde was beyond surprising. Not only did the commander want to give her heart but also her purity. Only now did she truly understand what the brunette had been going through for the past two months. Slowly, she walked over to the hunched form of her friend. She reached out to draw Lexa into her arms. The commander didn't hesitate to grip onto the body offering her comfort and she silently cried into her neck.

 

The tent was entirely silent save for the hitched breathing from the commander. Anya allowed her to take as much comfort as she needed. It had been many years since Lexa would allow herself to admit her weakness and need for comfort. They sat together for some time before the brunette lifted her head and wiped her eyes. While she washed her face to remove any trace of her tears, Anya called out for their dinner to be delivered. Indra asked for entrance to the tent while they were waiting on dinner. If she noticed the slightly red and puffy eyes of the commander, she didn't mention it.

 

  
_"Indra. We were just about to have dinner and I would be pleased if you would join us."_ Lexa found it more difficult to switch into the commander persona after her small breakdown.

 

The village chief agreed and sat at the table with the other woman as the food was brought in. _"I've heard that the sky girl was spotted."_ A look of surprise graced the generals face while the commanders face remained neutral. _"You should know by now that news travels almost faster than you receive a report. Everyone wants to know news of Wanheda."_ She spit out the title as though it burned her. The leader of the skaikru was never her favorite person and despite everything that she may have accomplished on the ground, she didn't wish to use a title of such great respect on the invader.

 

  
_"Ah yes. I have heard many whispers on Wanheda as of late. Some think that she is traveling with either a very skilled warrior or a ghost who has the ability to mask her movements. Others believe that she took her own life so that she could become all powerful, she faced and overcame her own death so that no others could ever harm her. And then there are those who believe that she has death itself in her thrall, that she commands it to hide her from all others until she wishes to be seen. Regardless of how she is moving through the trees possibly better than us, she was seen entered her peoples camp."_ Anya smirked. The stories that she heard were rather ridiculous to her but she knew that the people turned certain people into legends shrouded in mystery.

 

The commander felt herself blanch at the mention of Clarke taking her own life. She had feared that very thing right after the mountain. The fact that the blonde left her people and wandered into the wilderness on her own reminded her of animals that would leave their pack and find a place far away to die alone. Her belief that the blonde was too strong and too determined to survive was the only thing that stopped her from drowning in sorrow thinking about it. She decided to remain silent on the conversation about Clarke, it was too soon after her breakdown and her emotions were far too close to the surface. Allowing herself to show such emotions for the blonde in front of Indra was unacceptable. She knew that the older woman wouldn't feel contempt at the mere sign of an emotion however she knew how the woman felt about Clarke.

 

Not being one to gossip, Indra accepted the news of the sighting but ignored the stories that were floating around about the blonde. All she was sure of was that the blonde must have had help during her travels as there was no way that the sky girl was moving around unseen and without leaving a trace. She had never held much esteem for the leader of the skaikru. While her determination to stay alive and protect her people was impressive considering the forces that they were up against, the girl was nothing but a child. With the arrogance and self-importance of one. She had no more desire to think or speak about the blonde so she shook the thoughts away. _"Do we have any other information on the winged woman?"_  


 

  
_"The last sighting was a couple of days past when I ran into her. I have been unable to gather much information on her or her companions. They simply show up, eliminate the bandits, and disappear. We attempted to follow after them but there was no trace left behind of their passing."_ Anya took over the answer as she could see that the commander was still off balance from their earlier discussion.

 

Indra scoffed. _"Perhaps our scouts need further training. Not only have they been unable to locate a few bandit hunters, one of which has wings or so the stories say, but they have also been unable to track a stumbling, loud, inexperienced sky girl."_  


 

  
_"According to Anya as well as several warriors, the woman does in fact have wings."_ Lexa spoke once she felt herself settle. _"As to the scouts, you know as well as anyone that they are the best. I cannot speak to how they have been unable to locate Klark except when she appears at her camp. However, it doesn't seem so beyond belief that the group that have been actively and most successfully taking down many groups of bandits are well equipped to disappear into their surroundings. The fact that we have not heard word about a winged woman until recently gives even further proof to that."_  


 

The general nodded in agreement. _"We would have known about them long before now if they didn't know how to travel like ghosts. When I met with them, I only spoke with the winged woman. They seemed sincere in their desire to simply protect those that were unable to do so themselves."_  


 

  
_"The villagers have taken up the belief that they will always be there to protect them. As though they were avenging spirits, here to reap the souls of the guilty. There have been markings appearing in the settlements of a pair of wings. They are displaying them to appeal to the woman to watch over them and also as a warning to any bandits that their village is protected."_   Indra wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that. She was pleased that someone was watching out for her people when the warriors weren't there or were underprepared but she was uneasy that none of them knew who they were. The displays of the wings popping up were worrying as they were almost worshipful. She felt that only one person should have that kind of devotion and that was the commander.

 

The distasteful look upon Indras face was easy for Lexa to see. She understood the feeling however. The people felt that she was the ultimate authority, there were legends created based on her previous actions and accomplishments. Having someone come close to that was almost sacrilegious to some of her people. One of which being the village chief. The commander wasn't worried however. So far, the woman and her companions have done nothing negative to her people. Where her warriors have been unable to thwart all of the bandit activity, the winged woman and her party have filled in the gap. More of her people were protected and there was no part of her that was opposed to that. Now, if the mystery group began hurting her people or taking advantage of them she would deal with it directly. _"They have caused no harm so there is no reason to worry."_ She directed a hard look to her general and village chief. _"Regardless, we know nothing about these people. I want you both to keep your eyes open and gather any information that you can about them. If they make any moves against our people I will handle it."_  


 

Both women nodded their heads. The safety of their people was of the upmost importance to them and they would ensure that they could get as much information about the group as they could. They wouldn't allow anyone to compromise the safety of their people no matter their past deeds. They carried on small talk about the villages and the army. Conversation halted as they heard someone speaking to the guards. The man was speaking loudly and almost too quickly to understand. Lexa stood and called out to her guard to allow the man entrance. She sat upon her throne and waited for him to enter.

 

The man quickly walked into the tent and knelt before the commander. _"My apologies to bother you so late Heda."_  


 

  
_"It is no bother. What is your name?"_ She sat calmly and prepared herself. There was no reason for someone to charge panicked to the commanders tent unless there was an issue.

 

  
_"My name is Ronan. I live in Shep."_ He waited until the commander nodded for him to continue. _"Not too long ago bandits attacked our village. We have few warriors, most are working people with little skill in fighting and ill prepared to face those who live in constant battle."_ He paused as tears welled in his eyes. As much as he didn't want to recount what he witnessed, he knew that he had to give every detail. _"They came as soon as the sun set. I was unable to count their numbers but they were clothed in thick furs and they were large and fierce. As they stormed into the village, they easily cut down the few that took up arms against them. The others were restrained."_  


 

With clenched fists, Lexa waited for the man to continue. She knew simply from Ronan's face that the report was only going to get worse. The actions of each group of bandits were always promptly reported to her. She was well aware of how savage some of them could be.

 

Taking a deep breath, the man continued. He owed it to his village to disclose every detail and ensure that help came. _"Some of the men enjoyed separating the villagers. There were those that held woman down as their fellows cut into the men. They forced them to watch their husbands, fathers, and sons be carved apart until they died."_ He swallowed harshly. _"Others held the men while the bandits tortured and forced themselves on the women and children."_  


 

Fury shined from the commanders eyes. She couldn't stand knowing that her people were suffering while she was not there to protect them. The words spilling from the mans mouth fueled her rage. Despite the desire to leap from her throne and charge into battle at the village, she could see that Ronan had more to say. With an amazing show of willpower, Lexa swallowed down her bubbling emotions. _"What else?"_  


 

Ronan could see the anger in the commanders eyes. He, as well as all of their people, knew how much she cared about their wellbeing. It was one of the reasons that she was the best commander they have ever had. Shaking away the thoughts, he explained what happened next. _"A woman and man appeared in the village. They pulled me behind a building so that we were out of sight of the bandits. They assured me that they would do all they could to save the people in the village and sent me to notify the general or you if you were near. The two were well armed and I could see that they were very skilled but they are only two against all of the bandits."_  


 

  
_"Onya, Indra. Take your warriors to Shep."_ Lexa sharply gave her orders. She knew that time was short if they wanted to save the village. She watched them leave and then turned to Ronan. _"My best will be heading directly to your village. You may rest here or follow along with them."_ The man nodded his thanks and headed out to join the warriors going to protect his home. _"Ronan. They will not go unpunished for what they have done."_ It was the most that she could offer to him. It would never be enough but she would make sure that those harming her people would not get away with it.  


* * *

  
The village of Shep was near TonDC so it was a quick journey for the warriors. Indra ordered her company to spread out into the trees to box in the bandits in the village and to stop any who may attempt to join them or to halt any attempting to flee. Anya took her warriors to enter the village and deal with the opponents within. The general crept silently into the settlement with her men spread out behind her. She didn't know how much had changed since they received the report and wanted to ensure that they didn't loudly announce their presence to the unknown number terrorizing the people. They slid behind buildings and hid within the shadows as they crept closer. Already they could hear the crying and screaming villagers as well as the sound of blades meeting. Anya assumed that was from the two that went to the aid of the people. While foolish for the two to take on so many, she couldn't help appreciating their fearless approach.

 

The sounds of the terrorized villagers grew closer. The general halted her party behind the last large building before the village center where the bandits were located. They found several bodies along the way that fit the description of the bandits that she assumed were taken down by the two people that charged in to help. Anya peeked her head out from behind the corner of the structure to gauge the numbers and locations of the opponents. There were at least twenty that she could see still standing, those not engaged in direct battle were still restraining the villagers. At least ten bandits laid upon the ground in a puddle of their own blood. The amounts surrounding them made it clear that they had received fatal wounds. After assessing as much information as she could on the bandits, Anya moved her eyes to the man and woman fighting against them. Her eyes widened and she stared as her mind attempted to keep up with what she was seeing. Even with the evidence in front of her, she couldn't quite believe it. The man she didn't recognize and could have been anyone from her clan. The woman however she knew. Despite the black clothes, beads, and feathers in her hair, the blonde was unmistakable. She could see the steal determination in blue eyes that she was familiar with from the time after she escaped the mountain with her. The clothes she wore were no longer of the sky but of someone who lived and thrived on the ground. She recognized the clothes, the weapons, and the fighting style but it didn't make sense to her. If the hood were hiding her face and she had wings upon her back, she would have no doubt that she was the woman she had met only days before. Her confusion made her pause instead of charging in to help like she originally planned. Some of the warriors who were able to watch around the building were wide eyed and slack jawed.

 

The blonde twirled around her opponents, her dual swords were flashing in the torch lights. She was easily taking on six men at once and made it look easy to duck and spin around their strikes. Her swords struck deep in the necks and chests of her opponents to ensure a quick death to be able to move on to the next without worrying about a man lifting himself off the ground to attack again. Once all six of the men were dead at her feet, the others realized that she was more of a threat than they initially thought. The fact that ten of the remaining men charged at her was evidence. She threw her swords with perfect accuracy to pierce the chests of two men running towards her. The blades easily sunk through their furs and armor while erupting from their backs. Each fell dead in moments of beginning their charge. Without swords, the blonde unfurled her metal whip and begun spinning it through the air. It moved so fast that it was nothing but a blur and a faint whistling could be heard as it displaced the air. She utilized the heavy metal dart at the end to crush both skulls and breastplates. The force instantly crushed the bones into the brain and heart, killing them instantly.

 

The general and her warriors stared in awe at the absolute destructive power on display. While delivering death repeatedly, the blondes face was completely impassive and her eyes were made of a terrible cold fire. The general was familiar with those particular masks that people display, the commander was a prime example, but the men with her had a slight look of fear in their eyes at the sight. Anya was amazed that the stumbling, weak sky girl was such a force. She honestly didn't understand how she could become so proficient at dealing death in such a short time. The name Wanheda was more accurate than she previously thought. She didn't know what was more surprising. The fact that Clarke was such a skilled fighter or that she somehow was the winged woman. That was still something that she was unsure about. She wouldn't entirely believe it until she saw proof of it. If the girl had wings before, she was sure that someone would have noticed. Her internal musing was interrupted once Clarke shouted to her friend. There were only two bandits left standing and the blonde ordered for them to be captured instead of killed. The man followed her directions immediately, hitting them both savagely in the head to knock them out and tying their limbs together. In an impressive show of strength, he dragged both men to a post that looked deeply implanted in the earth, attaching each to the post securely so there was no hope of escape. The general wondered what the blonde had planned for the men but assumed she would be handing them over to the village for justice to be served, following the same pattern as she had with each group of bandits.

 

As soon as the action had stopped, the blonde called out for the village healer. She directed them to separate those that they could not save for her to help, only asking that they attempt to stem to flow of the blood pouring from their wounds. She didn't explain how she planned on saving them but she seemed sure that was could help in some way. The blonde handed the healer something to drink before moving on to the other wounded. For a moment, Anya felt ashamed that she held back while a single sky girl and her friend handled the men attacking the village. It passed quickly when she looked around the village center. The fight was over quickly despite the fact that the bandits were battle hardened. They didn't stand a chance against the chaos that the blonde brought. Despite the fact that the battle was over, Anya held her men back still. She wanted to know how the blonde planned to save those that normally wouldn't last more than a few minutes. The blonde crouched down near the fatally wounded with the man who fought with her blocking the blonde from sight. She spoke too softly to the man and the victims that no one else could overhear. The general watched the shaved head of the man lean down beside the blonde. He handed her several items which she took and put to use quickly. A cup was lifted to each of the wounded along with a few words whispered into their ears. Watching only fueled her curiosity. She couldn't see what the blonde was giving to the dying nor hear the words she whispered to them.

 

A shout and the sound of a commotion drew the generals gaze from the blonde towards the entrance of the village. It was not directly in sight of the central area however the position that Anya took during the battle gave her full view to the scene that was unfolding. Feeling her jaw drop she watched as Indra stormed into the village with her warriors surrounding Lincoln and his sky lover. With her suspicions about Clarke, she assumed that those two were the remaining members of the blondes party. How two sky girls, a man who was more healer than fighter, and an assuming and unnamed man made up the party of amazingly fierce fighters was beyond her. She could clearly see that although she was mostly convinced of their secret identities, Indra was not. Her men had Lincoln pinned between their drawn swords while Octavia was being held tightly by both arms. The bruised and blood smeared face showed that she put up a fight. Whether the struggle was with the bandits or against Indras warriors was unclear. The general looked to Clarke to see if she noticed the new additions in the village. She was shocked to see the blonde gone. Her eyes searched out the area in the attempt to locate her. It wouldn't be a good thing for any present if the fact the blondes two friends were being restrained. The fact that she was worried more for the warriors than the blonde was telling.

 

The next scene moved in near slow motion in the generals eyes. She watched as the warriors holding Octavia jerked her around roughly when she tried to move closer to her lover. Lincoln watched her treatment with a dark look on his face and spun on his heels, disregarding the blades pointed at him. He seemed to be unable to ignore the urge to protect the brunette no matter what dangers surrounded them. His lunge towards his love was met with a sword through his stomach. Legs immediately failing him, Lincoln fell to the ground with the blade still piercing his flesh. A loud, shrill scream erupted from Octavia mouth as she watched him fall to the ground. Lincolns eyes were opened wide in shock as he gazed down to see the hilt sticking obscenely from above his bellybutton. His eyes slowly trailed up to the man who wielded the sword. It was a man he knew from his home in TonDC. The urge to laugh at the absurd situation overcame him but he held it back. Only a few months prior, he would have never imagined being on the receiving end of one of his clan brothers blades, branded as a traitor to his people. Despite that, he wouldn't take back a single moment. He would live through being shunned and ridiculed by his people, taken by the mountain, and turned into a beast sent to capture, kill, and even eat his people. Looking up into Octavia's eyes, he knew that every horror was worth it if it meant that he would meet her. A small and loving smile graced his lips before he collapsed to the ground.  


* * *

  
Once the fighting was done and the two living bandits were taken prisoner, Clarke looped the whip around her hips and collected her swords from the dead bandits they were sticking out from. Once all of her weapons were placed upon her body, she turned to the wounded. There were few that were already dead but several who could still be saved. Both she and Zion recognized that fact and began making their way to the survivors.

 

"Healer!" Clarke called out in the hopes that the village healer had made it through the attack. While she knew that she and Zion could help many of the people, there were too many in need.

 

A woman limped out from behind a nearby building. "I am Teyla. The healer of this village." She had blood pouring from a wound in her side. Despite the injuries, the woman easily took the blondes words to heart. She didn't know what the blonde would be able to do for the ones on deaths door but she saw her in action. The woman was capable of feats that the healer wouldn't have believed before that day. Even with the large man that accompanied her, the small blonde tore through the dozens of men that had been holding her village hostage. Watching her destroy one man after another was just as impressive as it was terrifying. The healer was only thankful that the blonde was fighting for them. If their enemies had one such as the blonde on their side, she would fear for the safety of her people no matter how many fearsome warriors her clan boasted.

 

"Klark kom Kru." Zion called out to the blonde. He gave her a knowing look while speaking her chosen name. There would be no better time for Clarke to introduce her new self to the people that she had chosen to protect. From the corner of his eyes, he saw the healers eyes widen at the name. Regardless of the lack of Skai in her name, the other woman knew exactly who her savior was. Zion handed a cup to the blonde while discretely passing her a small blade.

 

Knowing exactly what the silent message was, Clarke subtly cut into her palm and squeezed a portion of her blood into the cup. She handed it to healer. "Teyla, please drink this for your wounds. I'm going to need all of the help that you can give to save these people. This is the same remedy that I will give to the severely wounded in your village."

 

Teyla curiously looked into cup and saw the thick, silver fluid. While she didn't think that the woman who almost singlehandedly saved her village would poison them, she was hesitant. She took a deep breath and brought the cup to her lips. If for some reason this was an attempt to harm her people, she would take the first remedy to ensure that no further harm came to her people. A slight grimace crossed her face. The liquid tasted slightly like metal and was thick almost like a syrup. She waited a few moments and the blonde watched her. Teyla could see the knowing look in her eyes, the blonde knew that she was testing the effects on herself before she would agree that her people would also drink it.

 

Eyes slowly widening on the healers face was all the evidence that Clarke needed to know that the healer was aware she was miraculously healing. She felt her gaze harden slightly and throw a silent caution to the other woman. A nod was granted so the blonde hoped that the healer understood that the healing method was to remain a closely guarded secret. She bowed her head slightly to Teyla and moved on to the wounded. She and Zion worked quickly. Blood was replenished frequently into the cup to offer a steady supply to the near death patients. Zion lifted the cup to each victims mouths while the blonde lifted their heads and spoke soft comforting words to them. She knew that they would either have questions and suspicious glances when they fully awoke or they would simply add that day onto the tale of Wanheda. Even without them knowing who she was at that moment, it was only a matter of time that word would spread after Zions clear announcement. She didn't begrudge the man. It was time to show her face once again. The connection of Wanheda, of Klark, to the winged woman wasn't yet made but she had no doubts that some of those who saw her fighting against the bandits in Shep would begin to question if they were one in the same. That was a problem for another time however. She continued to move between the wounded and administered her 'remedy'. Some were already starting to come around and were watching her in awe. They could see that the woman before them was not only a great and mighty fighter, but also a kind and gentle healer.

 

There was almost a serene feeling to the village. With three people moving about tending to the wounded, the people felt secure. The bandits were dead and what was left of their people would survive. They should have known it was only the calm before the storm. Clarkes head snapped up and was pointed to the village entrance. She could hear several people marching in but what disturbed her was the frustrated sounds emanating from Octavia and Lincoln. Slowly, Clarke began to stand from her crouched position. The sound of Octavia's tortured screaming had the blonde launching herself forward. She barely acknowledged the sound of Zion following her. Halting abruptly, the blonde watched in horror as Lincoln sank to the ground. His back was faced to her and she could see the end of the sword that was emerging from his spine. The brunette was being restrained by two warriors but it seemed that she had lost her fight. Tears were streaming down her face, streaking through the splatters of grime and blood. The blonde saw Indra standing passively by as one of her people died before her.

 

A low, sinister growl rumbled in the night. Octavia felt her heart leap when she saw the blonde standing several feet away from her until the look on Clarkes face registered. A chill spread down her spine but it was not fear for herself, it was for the warriors that surrounded her. The brunette felt the struggle within her, while she wanted those her killed her love to suffer, they were Trikru; the clan who accepted her when she felt she had no people. As the blonde slowly stalked forward, Octavia prepared to break out of her opponents hold. She would stand with the blonde, even against her mentor and the clan that she had found a home in.

 

Clarke spoke clearly to Zion even with the growl still vibrating within her chest. "Sein Herz schlägt noch. Wenn ich ihn erreiche, brauche ich Sie, um meinen Rücken zu beobachten. Ich gebe dir die Zeit, in meinen Arm zu schneiden und ihm mein Blut zu füttern. Ich bin Wanheda und ich sage, dass er nicht sterben darf." (His heart still beats. When I reach him I need you to watch my back. I will give you the time to cut into my arm and feed him my blood. I am Wanheda and I say that he is not allowed to die.) Due to the audience she had and the fact that she hadn't yet decided whether or not Indra and her warriors were enemies, Clarke fell back to Zions native language. When Wanheda was still alive as Sierra, he had taught her German, his mother tongue. They rarely used it but with Wanhedas memories and lives within her mind, Clarke had no problem using the language as though she was born to it. Since they had been attempting to teach both Octavia and Lincoln to at least understand the practically dead language, the brunette recognized most of what the blonde had said if her relieved face was anything to go by.

 

The approach was so silent that most of the warriors were unaware of the great threat that was heading towards them. They were looking around, some more nervously than the others, to locate where the growl had come from. Living within the trees gave them a healthy respect tinged with fear on the animals that prowled through the area. None of them could tell exactly what they would be facing or even the direction of the sound. It seemed to reverberate through the entire area as though there were several starving predators circling them. The guards holding Octavia felt the shift in her position from a harsh agony to a steely anger. Looking in the direction the brunette was focused on, they saw the small blonde woman gliding towards them. There was a man following closely behind her but neither looked to be too big of a threat. Although they were well aware to never underestimate a potential enemy, they had faith that their superior numbers would prevail if a fight ensued. A brief thought crossed their minds that the tiny blonde, while looking bloodthirsty, wouldn't be much of a threat. Movement caught their eyes. The general was walking quickly to them with an almost panicked look to her face. That made the men pause and wonder what could make the fierce woman uneasy.

 

Indra stood before her former warrior as he bled out on the dirt. She felt a twinge of regret that one so talented and loyal would die in such a way but she felt peace. _He made his choice._ When she saw the strength, limited though it was, still in Lincolns body, she ordered her warriors to finish him. The growl that she previously heard but dismissed increased in volume and savagery. Suddenly a blonde leapt before the wounded man with a sword held in each hand before her.

 

  
_"You will not touch him."_ The words came out of the blondes throat slightly garbled with the intensity of her growl. Her eyes were icy steel and her face was set in a terrifying visage. It didn't matter who she would be facing or how many there would be, Clarke would not allow anyone to harm her people. Lincoln was that even before he pledged himself to her and she wouldn't let him down. Her eyes narrowed at the scoff Indra released. The older woman had never been a fan of the blondes so she knew that the rescue she was attempting would not go as smoothly as she hoped. Regardless, Clarke would do what needed to be done and she made herself stone in preparation.

 

A look of disbelief accompanied the scoff from the village chief. There standing right before her was the insufferable sky brat that apparently the very best trackers of her clan couldn't locate. She could plainly see the many weapons scattered over the blondes body and the blood splattered across her features, but she did not believe that the blonde could have successfully held off even one bandit on her own. The man that stepped up with her was most likely the one to shoulder the blonde. She figured that he was the one to hide her tracks and carry her in a fight. The sky girl that she unfortunately knew was nothing more than a bumbling, self involved, and self entitled child. As far as she was concerned, the child before her and the man with her were no threat to their safety. _"Klark kom Skaikru. Move aside child. This does not concern you and I wouldn't want the precious sky princess to get hurt while justice is served."_ She would get her justice for Lincolns betrayal and those before her wouldn't be able to stop it. She signaled for the man on her right to finish the natrona.

 

The man leaned down and swung his sword to remove the head from Lincolns shoulders. The blonde moved almost too fast for the others to follow. With all of her strength, she moved her blade to intercept. The two swords crashed together with a high grating sound before the mans blade shattered. The violent vibrations moved up the blade to the hilt and finally to the mans hand. He released his grip with a shout. The blonde stood in the midst of it all with a calm and deadly look on her face. While the warriors were confused as to how their fellow was not only stopped but his sword broken beyond repair, they easily moved in to complete the task assigned by Indra. They were not prepared for the blondes next move and stood frozen in shock, awe, and quite a bit of fear. Finally, they could see exactly who the blonde was.

 

The commotion of Clarke interrupting Indras sentencing on the fallen natrona made Anya stop in her tracks. She knew that this was not going to end well. Even if her suspicions of Clarke being the winged woman were incorrect, she saw how brutal she was in battle. There were more than most seasoned warriors could handle together, all easily defeated by the blonde singlehandedly. If the scene before her turned into a fight, she didn't believe that her people would survive. Wincing internally, Anya listened to the blatant disrespect Indra was showing the blonde. Despite her earlier feelings on the blonde, she had learned that the girl was made of steel and fueled by an inferno. The escape from the mountain and the proof of what the blonde had done to those within the mountain were proof enough. She didn't know how the woman tolerated disrespect however. Hoping that the blonde was above taunting, she watched on as with barely a flick of her wrist Clarke blocked and destroyed the blade aiming towards Lincoln. She looked as though it required no strength and her face remained impassive yet burned with an inner fury. There was nothing that she could do to stop what was happening. They had every right to end Lincolns fight for his betrayal and the blondes actions showed that she would not allow that to happen. Holding her breath, she watched the five warriors move forward and attempt to overwhelm her with their numbers. Her eyes widened.

 

Shadows exploded around the blonde while her wings were brought to the physical realm. She spread her wings high and wide in aggression as she bared her fangs to the men who dared challenge her. Unknowingly, Clarke released the pheromones that screamed 'submit or die' and the shadows all around her writhed in her fury. _"You will not touch him!"_ Her voice did not raise but that seemed to frighten the warriors even more. They could hear the growl hidden within the echoes that emerged from her throat. They heard the promise of death if they continued to push and the possibility that they may still die for even trying to move against the blonde or someone that she had so obviously claimed.

 

Wide eyes and bobbing throats were the only reaction to the display. Anya sidled slowly up to Indra. She could plainly see the shock on the older woman's face as she put all of the pieces together. It wasn't quite so surprising to her but she still felt amazement that the fierce and deadly woman before her was a weak sky girl not that long before. Ignoring the multiple implications that the blondes revealing hinted at, she focused at the ball of wrath standing protectively before Lincoln. The wings were more impressive than she recalled and the shadows seemed much larger and more dense than before. Cursing under her breath, Anya watched one of the younger and more foolhardy warriors inch closer to the downed man. A vicious snarl was released from the blonde and she quickly raised one of her swords to disarm the warrior and held the blade to his throat. It was done almost faster than the spectators could follow and Anya only credited her own ability to see it in detail to the adrenaline pumping through her veins. All the while, the blondes eyes never strayed from Indra. The only change in Clarke were when the shadows around her spread out further and a harsh chill pervaded the air. She didn't know if it was simply imagined due to the very real threat before them or if it was just another unusual thing that emanated from the blonde.

 

Clarke remained poised for any move that the warriors surrounding them would make. While she would normally not mind waiting the situation out, she needed to help Lincoln. She keep up the stare with Indra while calling softly out to Zion. "Hier. Nehmen Sie, was er braucht." (Here. Take what he needs.) The blonde subtly moved her hand not attached to the blade she held at one of the warriors throats behind her. The wings allowed her movements, and the attention Zion paid to it, to be unnoticeable. She felt slightly dizzy when the man was finished taking her blood. It was not something that would hinder her in the short term however so she ignored it. All that mattered was that Lincoln survived.

 

A swift hand gesture from Indra had the warriors standing down. The distaste on their faces showed what they felt about not being able to remove the stain the natrona inflected on their people. _"Do not worry. The natrona will not live much longer. The only thing the sky girl did was ensure that he would suffer longer."_ Although she would never admit it, the sly smirk that slid across the blondes face unnerved her.

 

  
_"He will not be dying any time soon Indra. I will not allow it."_ Briefly, Clarke took her eyes off of the older woman to stare pointedly at each of the others circling her family. The look was to let them know that she was serious and would harshly deal with anyone who attempted to harm hers again. _"When he lives, you and your warriors will not touch him. Lincoln kom Kru is no longer one of your clan. He has sworn his life, blood, and service to me as I have to him. That oath is something that I take very seriously and I will not hesitate to destroy anyone who attempts to harm him. Let it be known."_ She watched the shocked looks that passed each of their faces. Not only was in rare to have someone swear such an oath but to have the one who held the others life in their hands swear it back was unheard of.

 

Behind the coiled form of the blonde, Zion knelt down to their fallen friend. He knew better than to remove the blade before the healing blood began its work. The sword had easily pierced through the man and most likely was either near or lodged in his spinal cord. He didn't want to take the chance that he would bleed out. The cup he held was nearly full with the blondes blood. He cradled the dying mans head and brought the cup to his lips while slowly rubbing his throat to make sure he drank the liquid. Once most of it was gone, Zion gripped the blade and slowly pulled it out while pouring the remaining blood directly into the wound. After several moments of strained silence, Lincoln took a deep breath. The slight release of tension in the blonde was further evidence that they got to him in time. With care, he helped Lincoln to his feet so that he could join in the united front Clarke and the recently freed Octavia were already displaying.

 

Looks of disbelief, shock, and fear spread throughout those who watched on. They knew who was before them and all of the stories that they had heard but seeing the blonde literally command death away from her companion was awe inspiring. The fact that the village chief was still scowling and not impressed didn't deter their wonder. Almost as one, they lowered their weapons. It was plain for them to see that even if they managed to wound one of them, the blonde wouldn't allow them to die. Trying seemed more than pointless and they didn't want to anger the legend before them any further.

 

Anya stared with wide eyes. Although she wasn't nearly as shocked as the rest of the warriors, seeing the blonde and putting everything together was still hard for her to grasp. From the corner of her eye she could see the scowl upon Indras face and frowned slightly. She couldn't really blame the other woman for her incredulity or scorn for the blonde. Not that long ago, she only saw the sky girl as a weak child but things had changed drastically since then. She had witnessed the strength and power that now resided in the blonde from the attack in the woods and the one in the village. While she was aware of how much the girl had changed, Indra hadn't witnessed the blonde in action. She was still blinded by her view of the Clarke from before the mountain and by her distaste for the sky people. Hoping that the older woman didn't do anything foolish, for she knew that the situation could quickly get out of hand, she turned her attention back to the blonde.

 

"Ist er geheilt?" (Is he healed?) Clarke heard the strengthening heartbeat within Lincolns chest and felt him stand behind her but she needed to check as she didn't want to turn her back to the still bristling Indra to look the man over.

 

Zion knew that the blonde needed the verbal reassurance no matter what she already knew. "Ja. Die Klinge wurde erfolgreich entfernt und der Schaden repariert." (Yes. The blade was successfully removed and the damage repaired.) A frown teased at his face but he held it back due to the still possible threat before them. The was a sway to the blondes stance, so small that most probably wouldn't notice but it was his job to look after her and he knew that something was wrong. Thinking back to the excessive amount of blood that she had given for all of the wounded, he knew exactly what she needed and also that she would need more than he could safely give her. "Klark. Sie müssen trinken. Das ganze Blut, das du diese Nacht frei gegeben hast, macht dich schwach." (Klark. You need to drink. All of the blood that you have freely given this night is making you weak.)

 

Hiding a fond eye roll at the man, Clarke only nodded. She was well aware of that fact but it wasn't urgent for the moment. Struck with a sudden idea, the blonde pulled Lincoln before her while still keeping her eyes on the warriors. She cut deeply into her palm and dipped her fingers in the welling blood. Taking her eyes off of her surroundings, Clarke drew upon Lincolns forehead. The silver blood took on the shape of wings stretched upon his brow and framing his eyes with Clarkes personal Wanheda symbol in the center. The message was clear: Lincoln was under Wanhedas protection. Her attention was brought back to Indra as the woman loudly cleared her throat. The other woman had an annoyed twist to her features, most likely due to the fact that they were ignoring her and that they were speaking in a language that she couldn't understand. _"Now, can we come to an agreement to not attack each other? While the bandits are no longer a threat to this village, there are plenty of people that are in need and there just so happens to be three very skilled healers in our party that can assist."_  


 

Indra opened her mouth to argue but Anya swiftly interrupted. _"Yes I believe that is possible. The wellbeing of these people is far more important than the argument that I'm sure is about to occur."_ She pointedly looked at the village chief and was satisfied when her mouth snapped shut. There was no valid excuse to hold the four when they could clearly still help the people. She watched the blonde nod her head sharply once and, in an eerily similar fashion, they turned and moved into the village. Somehow the wings upon the blondes back disappeared as her form moved further away.

 

  
_"Why did you agree to the sky brats terms? We outnumbered them and we have no need for sky children or natronas to assist with our people."_ Indra harshly barked out to the general. She had no love for any of those in the blondes group, even the man who most likely was on her clan. The fact that he freely associated with the others was damning enough to her.

 

The general closed her eyes and took a calming breath. While she completely respected the other woman, she was far too hotheaded and stubborn. She could understand her anger and dislike for the group but her narrow-mindedness didn't allow her to see the big picture. _"Indra. I agreed because she was right. Regardless of whether you have the right to kill Lincoln, the fact that she has accepted his service prevents you from seeking out justice on him. You know that as well as I. If you wish to continue in your grievance against the man, you will need to take it from Klark. But as you are aware, he is no longer of our clan so you cannot impose our laws on him for past actions. The fact that Clarke accepted his service absolves him of his crimes and if he so happens to act against our laws in the future, she will have to pay the price."_ Despite the very factual explanation, she could still see that the other woman was not appeased. _"And besides that, we may have outnumbered them but we would not have won."_  


 

Indra scoffed. _"Are you so cowardly now that you would not attack simply because you think that two sky children, a healer, and an unnamed man would defeat us? We have been training since we were children and have fought in more battles than they could imagine."_  


 

  
_"You have not seen them in battle Indra. If you had, you would not be so arrogant."_ There was a faraway look in Anya eyes. _"I have seen them fight right before my very eyes and I could hardly believe that what I saw was true. Each could easily take on at least two or three of us at a time. And Klark. She completely destroyed ten men who attacked her at once within seconds."_  


 

While the general was not one to spin grand tales, Indra found it very difficult to believe the blonde could do such a thing. Only two months before, the girl couldn't fight to save her life and relied heavily upon her coward weapon. The only thing that she could do at that point was watch. She would make sure that the girl didn't bring harm to her people and if she just so happened to see proof of the blondes fighting ability, all the better. _"You must tell Heda."_  


 

The thought made her uneasy. While Anya knew the commander would be relieved beyond belief that the blonde was alive and well, she didn't know how the blonde felt towards Lexa. How she would react to having to face the woman who betrayed her was something that she couldn't even begin to guess. The fact that the blonde was so very different now was also a concern. Lexa last knew Clarke as passionate, emotional, and honestly kind of helpless. The blonde that Anya witnessed was none of those things. Even in her anger, Clarke was calm. She didn't raise her voice and her face was entirely blank. The fire did burn in her eyes but even Anya could see that is was vastly different than it once was. With a sigh she agreed. _"Tomorrow."_ She walked towards the village to help where she could.  


* * *

  
_"Onya."_ Clarke called out to the general. She had helped all of the injured and saved all of those that were on deaths doorstep. While she could go without rest or sustenance for long periods and keep her stamina, she was tired. She knew exactly why that was and shoved the thought aside with the promise of dealing with it soon. _"I spoke with the healer, Teyla, in regards to the two bandits who are still alive. As you know, I hand over any who survive to the village targeted for them to take their justice. Teyla and her people wish for me to handle them. I have a unique skill set now that I can use to get some answers from them but I wanted to ask you first whether or not you needed those answers."_  


 

Barely hiding her surprise, Anya turned to the blonde. Each new fact that she learned about the girl was more shocking than the last. She was almost sure that the Clarke that she had known before would not be so willing to torture someone for answers or deliver the question with such calm acceptance. _"We have been unable to catch a living bandit so far. Most die in the battle or succumb to their wounds shortly after, those that we have been able to find. Answers are something that we need very badly. Up to this point, we only have speculation on what is going on. But there are many others who can do this."_  


 

  
_"I'm sure there are but I am well equipped to get the answers you need."_ Clarke could see the doubt in the generals eyes. _"You may accompany me if you wish."_ Having the general there was more for Anya's sake than Clarkes. She hadn't used her special skills in her current life but she had many memories of all of the Wanhedas before her who had. With all of those memories, she had a deep well of knowledge for her to draw from on how to get exactly what she needed. Seeing her in action would remove any doubt from the general. She did also have an ulterior motive for administering the torture. Her body desperately needed blood and a lot of it. More than she wanted to take from her friends and since the men were already fated to die, she would use theirs.

 

Once the general agreed, Clarke moved to a tent that was erected on the edge of the village. The two bandits had already been moved there and secured. The tent was empty save for a fire and the posts that the men were tied to. Clarke moved to the corner and removed her heavy coat while Anya stayed near the entrance to observe and block any interruptions from outside. The emotion and light in the blondes face had been thoroughly removed before she entered the tent and she hid a smirk at the terrified look in the men's eyes as they watched her. They had seen what she was capable of already and were under no illusions that the night would be easy for them. Walking casually towards the fire, Clarke thought of the best approach to the helpless men. "I will give you a chance to talk before I begin. Please believe me when I say that it would be in your best interest to take advantage of that offer because once I start, I will not stop. I will begin on only one of you and I will only end once that one has died. The unlucky one will remain untouched as I slowly take apart the other piece by piece. That one will have to watch and know exactly what I will do to them once I have finished with the first. It will not be a slow or easy death. Make your choice." She shrewdly watched the two men. Their faces blanched at her casual tone. The fact that she described that in an easy conversational tone frightened them more. Clarke could see the defiance in the eyes of the man on the right while the other was shaking in fear. It was easy to see who would break and the fact that the scared one wasn't looking to the other showed her that he knew just as much as his fellow. She knew where to begin.

 

Silence reigned in the tent. Clarke sighed in mock resignation and turned to the fire. Her back blocked the fact that she was heating a blade. It wouldn't due to cut into the men and have them bleed everywhere. "If that is how you wish to behave, so be it." Once the blade was red, the blonde turned back to the men and moved towards the defiant one. Her eyes critically roamed over the mans frame. Considering the men had been removed of all of their clothing save their undergarments, Clarke had a lot of areas that she could start with. The still burning red blade slowly made contact with the man ribs. She focused on making the most painful cuts without harming the prisoner too much. The sensitive flesh covering the mans ribs easily split under the force of the knife but the wound bled little as the wound was also cauterized at the same time. The twitching form of the bound man was the only indication of his discomfort but it didn't deter the blonde, she knew that soon enough the pain would be too much for him to remain silent. With a wicked smirk, she stared the man straight in the eyes. Letting him know that it was only the beginning.

 

Anya had been watching on for what felt like hours. She watched as the man being worked over dissolved into screams and pleading, as the blonde worked tirelessly on inflicting as much pain with minimal damage, and as the man untouched stared in increasing fear and panic. If she was honest with herself, she was a little unsettled as well with how the night had turned. It was difficult for her to reconcile the many parts of Clarke into one picture that made sense. She was savage in battle but fought with honor, she protected the ones she claimed as hers with a fierce loyalty, she went out of her way to heal the wounded and help any villagers who needed it, and she was carrying out a brutal torture without hesitation. The general didn't remember the blonde being quite so complex and layered but then again she admitted that she didn't know her that well and until recently was more aligned with Indras view on the girl. Another shrill scream tore through the air and she barely held back a flinch. She watched as the already destroyed flesh of the prisoner was laid into again. The blonde had broken bones, fileted the skin, and burned in the most sensitive areas that she could. It was horrifying to watch and if it weren't for the heated blade, she knew that the man would have been long dead.

 

A rustle from behind her pulled her attention away from the grisly view. Anya turned her head to see that Indra was attempting to enter the tent. A nod from the blonde was the only indication that she was okay with the older woman being present to watch on but the stern look that accompanied it demanded that if the woman so much as attempted to interfere, Anya would need to remove the distraction. While not one willing to take orders from anyone other than the commander, she could understand the wisdom in it. Hiding a chuckle at the disbelieving look on the village chiefs face, she continued to witness the blade dragging slowly and almost teasingly over the flesh that was already ruined. Her eyes constantly sought out Indra however. In part to make sure she didn't try to do anything to ruin the atmosphere that the blonde so carefully cultivated but also to see her reaction.

 

After some time, Indra looked to the general and nodded her head outside. Emerging from the heat, the smell of burnt flesh and anguish, she turned to Anya. It was easy to see the question in her eyes. _"I heard the screams from the village and considering that it had been lasting for hours, I decided to come look to see what you were doing. Of course I know that you normally are not one to take part in the act of severe questioning, I wondered what you must have been doing to prolong the prisoners agony for so very long. Imagine my surprise that you in fact were not the one wielding the blade. How is it possible that she even knows how to do that?"_  


 

  
_"That I do not know Indra. But I imagine that there is much about her that we are not aware of."_ A haunted look crossed her features. _"She gave them an opportunity to spill their truths before she even began and promised that if they did not speak before she started that she would not stop until the one receiving her attention was dead, regardless of what they told her."_ Anya focused on Indra again while releasing a humorless laugh. _"She has kept that promise no matter the words that have been spilling out between screams. I believe that she only used this tactic as there are two of them. The other man has watched as she slowly tore the one you saw apart. By the time she moves to him, he will not be able to keep his silence."_  


 

A flicker of respect came to life in the chiefs chest but she immediately moved to extinguish it. There was simply too much unknown about the blonde now and she didn't believe that the girl could have changed so drastically in so little time. She decided to add these actions to her inner doubts and observations about the blonde. _"Well has he said anything important so far?"_  


 

The general huffed. _"He said a great many things but most didn't make much sense. Between the insults, he claimed that Nia was dead, that his emperor would destroy us all if we didn't kneel before his power, that he came from a place beyond Azgeda."_ She shook her head. The words the man had babbled seemed more like a fever dream than reality. She was sure that they would have known of another clan further north or at the very least that Nia was no longer among the living. That wasn't something that could be hidden for long. _"He must be suffering too much from the pain to make sense. Hopefully the other one will be able to explain more."_  


 

More yells and pleading spilled from the tent. Indra bid her farewell with a slight grimace on her face while Anya moved back into the tent. Apparently she made it just in time for the finale. The soft voice of the blonde whispered in the hot air. _"Did you know that I could keep going? You have barely lost any blood so I can make this last for days."_ She watched the blonde subtly shift so that she could look at both of the men at once.

 

Clarke smiled wide to show off her fangs and released her wings once again. She consciously pumped out the pheromones to intimidate and subdue prey. The terror in the men's eyes grew. _"As it happens, I am quite thirsty."_ Taking a moment to obscenely lick her sharp fangs, she continued her taunt. _"And I think you will be able to satisfy that nicely."_ The confusion on the prisoners faces was quickly removed as Clarke gripped the near dead man by the hair to roughly expose his neck. Her teeth easily sunk into his flesh and her hunger slowly was sated. Once the man was dead, she pulled her mouth from his flesh and looked over to the other man, licking the blood running from her lips. With a smirk, she glided over to him. _"Now tell me, do you wish to share in his same fate? Keep in mind that I did say I could make the pain last for days and as I am no longer thirsty, I would have no reason to stop."_ Whether it was defiance or simply sheer terror, the man didn't speak. Clarke sighed and turned to the fire while holding her blade in the flames. _"Very well."_ She moved back to the bound man and slowly lifted the blade to his skin.

 

  
_"No! Wait!"_ Tears were streaming down his face. He had no desire to be tied up and have the wicked, unfeeling woman do to him what he just watched her do to his companion. There was no misunderstanding, he knew that he would not survive but he did have the choice on how painful that end would be. So he told her everything. _"I am from far in the north, further than Azgeda. My people are called Azmaun due to the cliffs and mountains of ice that we call our home. Our emperor had a deal with the Ice Queen. We would continue our treaty but she was not allowed to tell the rest of the coalition about us. In exchange for the trade she brought in from these lands, the emperor agreed to supply the warriors needed when she took on the commander. He never intended to keep his word however. Once she passed along news that the mountain had fallen, he knew that it was the perfect opportunity. Thousands of our warriors moved in and the meeting between the emperor and the queen ended with her death. He convinced the scouts and ambassadors to continue acting as though the queen was still alive and in power when speaking with any people outside of the clan. The people of Azgeda submitted to the emperors rule once he destroyed whole villages who wished to challenge him or avenge their fallen queen. The emperor is not yet ready for a full attack but he gave many of us permission to do as we wished so long as we didn't get caught. We forced those in Azgeda to share information on which Trikru villages were lacking warriors and where the common passes were for travelers. We knew of you. The winged woman who has targeted us. So we laid traps and brought more numbers. We never succeeded in overwhelming you or stopping you."_ Wonder joined the fear in his face as he gazed upon the woman before him. _"Who are you?"_  


 

With difficulty, Clarke hid her concern and surprise at the words. She didn't understand how a whole people could remain hidden from the coalition. Shaking that aside for the moment, she focused on the information that they would need. _"How many are there of your people?"_  


 

  
_"There are tens of thousands not including those of Azgeda."_ The man was slightly horrified to realize that he had no control over his mouth. The terror of the past several hours had loosened his lips.

 

Seeing as she wasn't aware of the population of all the clans, Clarke wasn't sure if that was very alarming. _"When is your emperor planning to attack and what is his plan?"_  


 

  
_"The attack wouldn't begin until spring but I do not know the plan. I was never one to be in the emperors confidence nor any of his generals."_ He frowned in thought. _"Of course, with the fact that not all of Azgeda is happy with the current rule, it may take more time. The emperor has no desire to fight a battle on two fronts. Most of the warriors of Azgeda have been confined to their lands until their loyalty can be assured. Until then, the emperor allows his warriors to do as they please."_  


 

Anya spoke up for the first time. _"And just how many of your people are acting as bandits to steal from and harm my people?"_  


 

A smirk teased at the mans face until he saw the glower directed at him from the blonde. He swallowed nervously. _"All of them but we are not permitted to come all at once for obvious reasons."_  


 

  
_"Onya. Can we speak privately for a moment?"_ While being completely polite, Clarke could feel the strain of the night hitting her. There was nothing that she wanted more than to find her friends and rest but she figured that the remaining bandit wouldn't be so forthcoming if she weren't present. The general followed Clarke out into the night. _"Should we keep him alive for now? Do you have any more questions for him?"_  


 

  
_"He doesn't seem to know very much about his leader or what their plans may be. I find it very difficult to believe that his story could even be true but at the same time I doubt he could come up with such a tale in his terror."_ Her brow furrowed in thought. _"It would probably be best to keep him alive for the moment. There may be more information within him that we can discover."_  


 

The blonde nodded tiredly. _"Very well."_  


 

  
_"I will post guards at the tent both inside and out to ensure that no one attempts to silence him and so that he cannot take his own life."_ The generals eyes softened as she observed the blonde. _"You should rest."_ Anya watched the blonde move away after thanking her and taking her coat from within the tent. She called out to the nearest warrior to pass along her orders. She wouldn't allow the knowledge their prisoner held go to waste.  


* * *

  
After wandering around for a bit, Clarke was finally pointed to where she could find her family. The villagers were kind enough to allow them to use an empty house for the duration of their stay. Thankfully, it was on the edge of the village and practically hidden within the trees. It would take some time for them to feel comfortable being around so many people who knew who they were. While the people of Shep were welcoming and grateful for their assistance, most of the warriors weren't.

 

Walking into the cabin, the blonde felt her shoulders slump. There was no one present that needed to be shown unyielding strength. Each of the three had seen Clarke at her worst; they have seen her struggle and cry, but knew that that didn't make her weak. The mask that the blonde had worn since the beginning of the battle melted off of her face and she could feel the beginnings of despair flood her mind. While she had come to accept that there were times that warranted ending someone's life, she had never had to put anyone though hours of unrelenting pain. She had to let the monster within the depths of her soul loose to make it through the whole ordeal and there were several moments where she feared that she lost herself to that darkness. Showing any weakness or emotion besides savagery during the hours she spent within the hot tent would have been a disaster. Not only did she have to prove to the prisoners that she was ruthless and would cause them pain beyond their imagining, she also had to prove herself to Anya. It was a demonstration that she would do what needed to be done to protect their people. The respect in the generals eyes showed that she got the message.

 

Octavia watched the blonde enter their lodging. It was easy to see the strain the day had placed on her and after hearing the screams permeate the night, she knew that the blonde would be drained. Torture was not something that she was against necessarily however she didn't think it was something that she would want to do. It was needed though. They had no knowledge about who the raiders were, what their orders may have been, or what the point of it all was. She had no desire to start asking though as she saw the tears filling the blondes eyes. Octavia quickly stood and pulled Clarke over to her. She sat and tugged the blonde into her lap so she could lean against her. After everything that hey had been through, she knew that the blonde felt every death like it was a permanent mark upon her very being. Something that only she could see while the rest of the world only thought they knew how scarred it made her. Octavia knew that what she did that night would most likely be almost worse than the genocide at the mountain. At least then, the people died relatively quick deaths. That wasn't the case that night and she knew how it would weigh on her. Somehow, the commander of death and the leader of men, wore her heart on her sleeve. It was a wonder that the organ still beat with all of the beatings it had taken.

 

The blonde calmed gradually in her friends arms and she could feel the men sit on either side of her to offer their support. She was thankful that they knew her well enough to give their comfort in silence. The desire to talk was completely nonexistent. There would be plenty of time to share what she had learned the next day. That night the four of them all slept together in a pile of furs.  


* * *

  
The next morning there was a chill in the air. Fresh snow coated the ground as Anya walked back to TonDC. She had checked on the prisoner before she let to find the man sleeping but still alive. More than likely, the commander would want to question the man herself and she may need to provide the proof of his existence to the rest of the clans. They would otherwise be less likely to rally their warriors to deal with the new threat. The general still had some doubts about the validity of the story but she was not foolish enough to think that she knew everything about the world that they lived in. She dismissed the concerns she had as she entered the town. Heading immediately to Lexas tent, she entered to see the woman already awake and eating breakfast.

 

  
_"I didn't expect you to be back so soon."_ Lexa was happy to see the other woman but she knew that the general wouldn't be back after just leaving unless there was some news that she had to hear.

 

Pausing for a moment, Anya contemplated what news she should deliver first. While the information about the bandit was rather important, she knew that the commander would want to know about the blonde as well. She figured she would begin with the easier subject. _"When we arrived at Shep, the man and woman we were told about already had the situation well in hand. My warriors and I entered the village to see each of them slaughtered save for two that were taken prisoner. Indra took her men into the surrounding woods to stop any that were scouting or trying to enter. The two remaining bandits were questioned."_ She ignored the question on the brunettes face. Being the one to tell her the caring sky girl was the one to do the questioning wasn't something that she wanted to do. _"One is still alive and he told quite a tale. According to him, Nia is dead. He claims to come from a people further north than Azgeda. His people had an agreement to trade and aid in a future war against you so long as Nia and her people kept their existence a secret. His leader, who he called the emperor, had a meeting with Nia that ended with her death and his warriors occupying Azgeda. The bandits that have been attacking us are from those warriors who were given the freedom to do as they wished as long as there was no suspicion about their origins while the Azgeda warriors have been confined to their clan until their loyalty is no longer in question. This emperor has plans to attack in the future, possibly in the spring. We have kept the man alive for now so that you may decide his fate or question him further."_  


 

Keeping her emotions carefully contained, Lexa reflected on the information she was given. She wasn't sure how she felt about Nia possibly being dead and not at her hand. That was something that she had hoped she was the cause of. The idea of there being another clan wasn't too much of a surprise. She was well aware that there were a lot of places in the world and it would be ridiculous to believe that there weren't other areas or people that survived the end of the old world. Focusing back on her mentor, Lexa narrowed her eyes. _"What else Onya? I know you well enough to know when you are attempting to hide something."_  


 

  
_"Klark was there. In Shep."_ Anya swallowed her nerves. Telling the commander that she was there was one thing but she didn't want to explain everything to her. It was a lot for her to take in let alone the commander. _"She is unharmed and the last I heard she wasn't leaving there yet."_ With an eagerness that the other girl couldn't hide, Lexa quickly stood to prepare to leave. Anya would have found in amusing if the knowledge about the blonde wasn't eating away at her. She knew that she couldn't hold that information in. _"Leksa. I want you to be prepared. She is different now. Wanheda isn't just a name that our people gave her. With only one other person, she destroyed the bandits in that village. Not one of them even came close to touching her."_  


 

A confused frown graced the commanders face. She knew that Clarke was a force to be reckoned with but it was more in her passion, drive, and determination to save her people. _"How is that possible? It's only been two months since the mountain and she wouldn't have been able to best a new seken. Do you think the man with her has been training her?"_  


 

  
_"I don't have the slightest idea how she is able to do what I have seen. Even with constant training, there is no way that she could be as skilled as she is in such a short time. I don't think you quite understand what I'm saying though. She is beyond good. At one point ten men charged her at one time and she took them all down in a matter of seconds. These men weren't farmers who picked up weapons and fought with little skill. They were all battle hardened warriors with exceptional skill and she took them down as though they had never even seen a weapon, much less held one."_ It still amazed her when she thought back to seeing the blonde in action. _"She's much more controlled now as well. Before she talked everything to excess with all of her emotions running at the surface. That is not the case now. Indra captured Okteivia and Linkon in the woods, apparently they were all traveling together. One of the warriors put his sword through Linkons belly and as he lay dying, Klark strode in. She stood before his weakening body and calmly stared down all of the warriors before her. Not once did she raise her voice or insist on incessantly talking about what was happening. She only explained that he would not be dying and that none of them would touch him. The look on her face and the icy voice struck fear into the warriors hearts."_  


 

Unease flickering in Lexas mind. While she knew that the blonde was strong, it was never a physical strength. Trying to imagine her Clarke as a powerful warrior was more than difficult. There was no possible way that someone who had been training for two short months could become so accomplished to take out even one experienced opponent. Besides the impossibility of the whole thing, Lexa found it most difficult to hear that Clarke had taken more lives. Not that she wouldn't have done the same if the situation were reversed. The fact that the blonde committed genocide after insisting that they didn't kill everyone in the mountain, should have turned her off of even taking a life again just based on what the commander knew of the girl. Having the weight of those decisions upon her shoulders was not something that a life in the sky had prepared her for. Lexa thought that if put in the position again to protect herself or others, Clarke would opt to simply disable the threat rather than eliminate it. It made her wonder how much the blonde had really changed after the war and the choices that she made.  Regardless, she had to go to Shep and not simply because the prisoner demanded her presence. She decided to keep the thoughts and assumptions on the blonde to a minimum until such time that she could observe her. While she didn't think Anya would exaggerate, she was not sure how much she truly believed. She shook off the doubts and questions and headed off towards Shep with the general following behind her.  


* * *

  
A crowd gathered around the training grounds in Shep. Despite the damage inflicted on the people, the village itself remained unharmed and life went on. A few of the healed residents joined in with the eagerly watching warriors to view the four people sparring. Clarke, Octavia, Lincoln, and Zion continued their normal routine. The blonde didn't find it very challenging to face off with them considering her superior abilities and familiarity with their fighting styles but it helped merge them into a cohesive unit. Knowing each other so well that they could read every intention by a simple twitch or from the tightening of a certain muscle. The added bonus was that Octavia was getting better each day. Her previous training with Indra was cut short by a war and a betrayal but she gained the opportunity of learning from two people who had almost a hundred years of experience each. That allowed her to pick up a lot of different skills and increased the speed in which she could understand and utilize those skills.

 

The spar ended up like each of those that preceded it with the only difference being Octavia lasting longer each time. Once Octavia was defeated, Lincoln was bested next. Once they were removed from the fight, the speed picked up dramatically as neither Zion nor Clarke had to worry about causing unintentional harm from moving too fast. The finale was when Clarke flipped through the air and over Zions head. She lightly landed behind the man and held a dagger to his throat. While conceding, Zion let out a booming laugh. The blonde grumbled for she knew exactly what he was thinking about. The first time that she tried that maneuver she didn't jump quite high enough, her back slammed into Zions face and she fell to the ground head first. The only good thing about that experience was that there was no one else there to witness her failure. Clarke scowled at the still laughing man and walked over to Lincoln who was holding out a canteen for her. She took a long drink while thinking of a way to convince the others to go again. The exercise was rather enjoyable with the benefit of also distracting herself from the eyes that constantly followed them around. A huff pulled her attention to the side and she adopted her mask when she saw the condescending look on Indras face.

 

  
_"That wasn't a real fight. You have a barely trained sky child, a healer playing at being a warrior, and an unnamed and unnoticed Trikru. Do you think that because you can defeat them you are a skilled warrior?"_ All of her words were bravado and geared to get a reaction from the four. Not that she would ever admit it but she found the spar an impressive display of skill. The fact that she loathed the skaikru, felt betrayed when her seken deserted her, and was ashamed by the good warrior from her village abandoning their people for invaders made her bitter and more argumentative than she would have been otherwise. With grudging respect, she watched that none rose to the bait of her mocking even her hot tempered former seken.

 

The blonde was well aware of what Indra was doing. She wanted to verbal attack them for the past that they shared with her since she couldn't do so physically. Attempting to bruise their pride was a good tactic. If they bristled and defended themselves, it would only show their own insecurity for their abilities and ultimately make them look weak. Clarke knew the men wouldn't be bothered by the older woman's words but she was pleasantly surprised Octavia didn't. Hiding a smile, the blonde admired her sister and how much she had grown. _"Well Indra I find it quite enjoyable to spar with them and they are all very good. I have never had the honor to spar with any of your warriors and I am quite sure they would present quite the challenge for me. Perhaps some of your men would do me the honor of a spar?"_ While simple words wouldn't affect the blonde, she had no problem using them against the other woman by feeding her arrogance and superior attitude.

 

A vicious smirk crossed the village chiefs face. The stories that she had heard about the blonde and her prowess was just that, stories. It was an impossibility in Indras mind that the sky brat could handle even one of her warriors. _"I'm sure that they would be happy to show you how to fight sky girl."_ Quickly, she pointed out two men to head into the training grounds.

 

  
_"Perhaps you could spare a few more?"_ Clarke gave her request in the most sincere and innocent voice she could muster. Two more men were sent in until she gestured again. A total of six men surrounded her in preparation for their spar. She wiped every single trace of emotion from her eyes, face, and stance. Her eyes hardened and narrowed slightly while she coiled her body in wait. Her friends may be used to her fighting style but the men around her wouldn't be prepared for her with her lack of posturing and avoidance of flourish. She was a brutally effective machine that didn't feel the desire to dress her movements up.

 

Each of the men fell into their preferred stance. The slight fear in their eyes was almost completely buried in the arrogance they felt in their skills as warriors. They were the best out of the warriors present and they knew it. Their prowess was the biggest reason Indra had selected them and while they feared the blonde, they also respected her and would fight to the best of their abilities. With brief eye contact, two of the men on opposite sides of the blonde attacked. Almost without effort, Clarke brought up the swords that she held in each hand and parried the blows as the rest of her body remained absolutely still. The blades violently vibrated at the strength behind the block and the men froze momentarily in shock. The blonde used that to her advantage and began to fight in earnest. Her movements were like water. She effortlessly twirled between and around the men while her swords moved fluidly through the air to attack and block. Any blades that came near her that weren't stopped by her own sword still didn't touch her. She bent around them while still continuing with her own movements.

 

Those watching the spar were rendered breathless. Only a few of them had actually seen the blonde in action, excluding the previous spar and they let their views on the blonde and her opponents color their opinion. Most thought of the skaikru as unskilled children so it was nearly impossible for them to believe that they could be strong in battle and due to Lincolns history with Trikru, it was easy for them to view him as weak. The violent dance occurring before their eyes however made them reevaluate that perspective. Especially the warriors. Six of the very best warriors in their company were having a difficult time taking on the blonde so it was plain to see that she was beyond skilled in battle. As far as they were concerned, she wouldn't willingly go to battle with weak warriors who she wouldn't trust to watch her back. The preconceived notions and biases that they held about the blondes three companions were washed away with that realization.

 

Indra held back a growl as yet another of her men conceded in the fight against the sky girl. It was as though a battle was happening within her mind. A part of her insisted on the spar to begin with to put the blonde in her place. She was simply an invader that was being heralded as though she were another Heda. The other part of her, that she tried to fight with every breath, was respect for the blonde. Even with the annoyance that she felt since the blonde first fell out of the sky, her refusal to die no matter what had been thrown at her, the lengths that she went to to save her people, there was a hidden respect. The blonde singlehandedly took down their greatest enemy and presently was a warrior to the Trikru even though she had never been asked to be or claimed to be. And a fierce and amazing warrior she was. Indra could admit that to herself at least while keeping a scowl firmly fixed upon her features. She wanted to berate her warriors for letting a child from another clan best them but after watching the spar, she could see why they couldn't. The war between disgust and respect continued to wage as the last man bowed out.

 

A smile finally broke free as Clarke clasped arms with the warriors and they introduced themselves. She thoroughly enjoyed being able to test her abilities with more people and with their different fighting styles. _"You all fought well."_ A mischievous sparkle entered her eyes. _"It was nice to spar with someone else for once. There was not one angry, tiny warrior to suffer with."_ She laughed loudly as Octavia charged at her with a loud yet playful shout. The blonde grabbed the girl and threw her in air laughing even louder at the shriek that escaped her. As she caught the brunette, the girl tackled her to the ground and they had a short and lighthearted wrestling match. Which ended when Zion upended a canteen full of icy water above them. They all ignored the shocked looks sent their way. There was a time to be stoic and mature, but that wasn't one of those times.

 

Deciding to go on a hunt, the four began walking to the house they had been gifted with for their stay. A near inaudible gasp halted their progress. Clarke turned towards the noise and frowned at the look of shock on Zions face. She followed his eyes which were turned towards a woman around her age. The woman was near the same build as the blonde and was very beautiful. She had long black hair that appeared to shine with a dark blue hue in the sun. Her russet skin made the warm caramel color of her eyes glow. It was clear that she saw the wide eyed gaze directed at her from Zion. Her eyes sparkled as she smirked at him and slowly began walking over. _"Umm. Zion?"_ Clarke felt amusement bubble within as the man ignored her. _"Is everything all right?"_  


 

Coming to a stop before Zion, the woman dipped her head in greeting, the smirk never leaving her face. _"Keryonfisa."_  


 

  
_"You two know each other?"_ Octavia, like the blonde, was intrigued. She waggled her eyebrows at Zion when he looked her way. It shouldn't have been that surprising that the man had intimate companionship before but she was so used to him guiding Clarke while almost ignoring everyone besides those in their little band.

 

A deep sigh was released. _"No we don't. I knew someone that looked just like her but that was almost 50 years ago."_  


 

  
_"That was my grandmother."_ A tinkling laugh was heard from the woman. _"She was fond of telling our family the story about when she met you. The man who was chasing a spirit through the woods in the middle of a blizzard, cursing the heavens as he stumbled along."_  


 

Grumbling, Zion barely hid a blush. He introduced himself and the three with him that were not even attempting to hide their amusement. The woman continued smirking as she observed the gentle teasing he was being subjected to. He made an effort to redirect the attention elsewhere by asking for her name.

 

  
_"How rude of me. I am Vala. Thank you for saving my village."_ She firmly gripped each of their arms. Her attention turned to Clarke. _"I had the honor or watching you fight. It seems that you have accepted and merged with Wanheda quite well."_  


 

Zion once again was shocked. The woman, Vala, seemed to know more about Wanheda than most people did. A thought suddenly struck him. _"Do you share your grandmothers gifts?"_  


 

  
_"I do."_ Vala could see the excitement bubble up in their faces. She knew that more questions were to come and asked them to follow her. Her home wasn't far and that was were she took them, knowing that their conversation shouldn't be overheard. _"The gifts were not unique to my grandmother. It has been passed down through my family since before the bombs fell. My family was part of a tribe of the indigenous people of this land. Native Americans I believe they were called. Each generation believed that it was important for us to remember where we came from so our history has been passed down, although I'm sure much has been lost or twisted in some way over time. In the time before the bombs, most people didn't accept that we had any kind of gift but once the old world ended people became more accepting. We have all been connected to the spirit realm, we can see and sometimes interact with those that reside within it."_ She could see the two girls who fell from the sky wanting to ask questions but with a flick of their eyes, they gestured for Zion to take the lead.

 

He tried to order his thoughts. There was so much that he wanted and needed to know. _"When I spoke with your grandmother all those years ago, she told me something that she learned from the spirits. At the time, I didn't believe it to be true and in the many years after I forgot. That is until Klark. She is different than any other that was chosen before. Her abilities are new and I don't know how to help guide her."_ He could see the question in her eyes so he asked the blonde to show Vala the markings she received while he explained the unusual things happening. The shadows, the strange echoing quality to her voice, the ability to feel the evil of the bandits from a distance, and most recently the cold air that seemed to seep off of her.

 

  
_"There is only so much that I can tell you."_ Her eyes traced the marking upon the blondes skin. The raised markings stood out starkly against the pale flesh. _"Let me explain. The spirit realm is not what most think, holding the souls of all those who pass from this life. Most do not linger. They move on to whatever is next or to be reborn in another life. Of those that stay, there are some that are so absorbed within their own minds due to the suffering or anguish they felt in their life that they simply wander without reason. The others, and there are few of these kind, stay behind because they feel something is unfinished or they simply choose to watch over those that they left behind. It's these ones that I and my family can interact with."_ She smiled at Clarke. _"Some of those souls that choose to watch were gifted to become spirits. Each spirit has their own paths and motivations. Wanhedas is to protect innocents and due to the life that she lived, she is drawn to those who sacrifice their own soul to protect their people. It is extremely difficult for a spirit to merge with a soul so the bond that you share with Wanheda or as the commander does with Heda is very rare."_  


 

Zion watched the blonde from the corner of his eyes. Learning about the spirit realm was something that he knew Clarke would have difficulty with at first. His attention was brought back to Vala as she continued.

 

  
_"About 150 years ago, my family received warning from the spirit world. 'Soon, a time will come that bombs will rain down upon the earth like tears shed from heaven. The world as it is known shall disappear amidst black and empty skies. It will be ripped and torn from the inside out with nothing to save the people left upon the earth. Chaos and destruction shall reign for many years until the sky falls. She will be the end of that terrible time and her arrival will be within a storm of fire from the sky. She will ride across the lands blowing her righteousness upon those on the ground. Within both her soul and spirit, life and death are one. Upon the ground, she shall meet her match. One who carries within them another powerful spirit. They will be joined, their very spirits and souls will merge, and peace will reign. Their children shall continue on to protect the earth long after her time.'"_ There was a faraway look in her eyes as she recounted the tale that had been passed on for so many years. _"Those in the spirit world continued to share any new information that they learned about the prophecy. It was discovered that Wanheda would bind herself to the soul of that person and she would be linked to the spirit plane more than any other. The two would be so similar that there would be no distinction on what behaviors were hers or Wanhedas. With this tightly bound relationship between spirit and soul, she will be granted gifts that no other had. They also spoke about how those gifts would increase once she found the other spirit bound soul and joined with them."_ Her eyes were soft as they gazed upon the blonde. Never had she thought that she would be alive to see the old words come to pass.

 

With a slack jaw, Clarke stared wide eyed at the woman. _"No offense meant to you, your family, or your beliefs but that isn't me! There is no way."_  


 

Zion reached out to grab the blondes hand while Octavia held on to the other. _"Klark. I understand that you have trouble accepting these things but you must look to what you know. Think about all of the things that you have experienced and seen since we have met. I know that you don't doubt her words but rather you doubt that it is about you. You are meant for far more than you know."_  


 

  
_"Yeah Klark. Since we came down here, you have been destined for more. Just look at everything that you have accomplished so far when you had no experience. You have saved us all so many times that it's almost like you bend reality to suit your desires. We shouldn't have survived with everything that we have faced, but because of you and you alone we have. Is it really so hard to believe that you were meant to save everyone, not just us?"_ Octavia wouldn't allow her friend to doubt herself. She meant every word and felt in her very heart that what Vala said was true.

 

The blonde looked at her family. The panic in her mind lessened slightly as she saw their faces. Zion looked at her with a patience and fierce pride. Warmth suffused her veins at the love and acceptance she saw radiating from Octavia. Lincoln smiled while he showed all of the loyalty and belief that he held in and for the blonde within his eyes. Feeling her shoulders loosing some of the tension, Clarke sighed. _"I'm not saying that I believe this but I'll keep an open mind. I just need to think about it more before I can even get to your level of acceptance about this. Even if it is true, being responsible for skaikru was almost enough to break me. I don't know if I could handle it right now." She_ gave them a shaky smile and turned to Vala. _"Thank you for sharing your story with us."_  


 

Vala smiled and invited them to stay for a light meal. She prepared tea and food for all of them while they continued to talk. The fact that she had the very savior of the people in her home chatting about simple things was slightly mind boggling. It was beyond interesting to speak with two people born among the stars. Sometimes their words made no sense even though they were speaking perfect trigedasleng. The occasional confusion on Lincolns face made her understand that the unusual sayings were from the old world since Zion seemed to understand the strange words. The amazement she felt having a conversation with a man more than 100 years old, a woman with wings and bound to a spirit, a small spitfire of a warrior who was more Trikru than skaikru, and a mellow and caring former Trikru didn't fade even after they had left.  


* * *

  
The general was more than slightly annoyed when she finally reached Shep. During the entire trip, Lexa had remained quiet except when she had yet another question about Clarke. Most of which Anya couldn't answer to begin with. The commander hurried through the woods completely preoccupied with her thoughts and disregarded her own safety entirely. If it weren't for the fact that the brunette most likely wouldn't even hear her, Anya kept her complaints to herself and was hypervigilant to their surroundings. She continued to follow behind Lexa as she walked further into the village. Warriors and villagers alike bowed deeply to the brunette but it appeared that she hardly noticed. Anya watched her eyes tracking through the people to locate a head of blonde hair. Even when it was apparent that the blonde wasn't present, Lexa never stopped her frantic search. Anya knew that despite her words that Clarke was alive, Lexa needed to see the proof herself.

 

Only her respect for the commander kept Indra from rolling her eyes as she saw Lexa entered the village and search for the sky girl. She walked over to the younger girl and directed her to a building, ushering both her and the general inside. "Heda."

 

  
_"Indra, report."_ Lexa resigned herself to focusing on her duties. She knew that if she asked Indra where Clarke was it would only put her weakness on display.

 

Standing up straighter, Indra assessed the commander. She felt pride that Lexa so easily pushed aside her feelings to handle the business that needed tending to. It wasn't a surprise that she would do so, but she knew that there was something more between the commander and the sky girl than politics. _"There wasn't much damage to the structures here so all repairs that were needed have been completed. We lost no warriors and only two of the villagers. The prisoner has been given water but otherwise left alone to await your arrival."_  


 

  
_"Only two?"_ Lexa was impressed. With the information from the villager who came to her looking for aid and what Anya relayed, she expected there to be greater losses.

 

Indra grit her teeth. _"Yes. Klark, Zion, and Linkon assisted the healers. It appears as though Klark has some way to heal even those mortally wounded yet no one knows how."_  


 

  
_"I see."_ Frowning, Lexa wondered how that was possible. She decided to worry about that at a later time. _"Take me to the prisoner."_  


 

With a sharp nod, Indra led the two out of the building and towards the tent that was erected on the edges of the settlement. Despite no one being able to actually see what the blonde had done, every person in the village was able to hear the screams from the night before. It only made their respect for the blonde increase. They saw that not only did the blonde fight for them, but she would do whatever necessary to protect them. She held back a sigh as she noticed the commander slowing. They were passing by a group of the warriors who were recounting the earlier spar against the blonde to those that hadn't seen it. Their words were loud and evidently had caught the commanders attention.

 

_"I don't know if I believe it. How did a tiny girl beat six of the best fighters here?!"_

 

_"Trust me, I wouldn't have believed it either had I not been one of them that she beat! Not one of us even landed a single hit on her. She moved like a ghost between us and like water around our strikes. I have never seen anything like it before."_

 

  
_"She had a strange fighting style too. Her body didn't move unless it was absolutely necessary to block or strike. With skill like that, you would expect arrogance like some other people we know."_ The others laughed when the man who spoke pointedly looked at one of the warriors. _"Not once did she flaunt the fact that she could defeat us all."_  


 

  
_"Did you see her face?"_ Some of the men couldn't hide a shiver. _"It was like she wasn't even human. I have never seen someone disguise their very soul like she could."_  


 

_"Well it helped her knock all of you around with ease. You could tell that that was just a mask, no matter how convincing. She was laughing afterwards like that never happened."_

 

_"How did she throw the other girl up in the air so high and catch her like she weighed nothing?"_

 

Lexa listened in on their conversation, puzzled. Turning to Indra, she asked, _"Who are they talking about?"_  


 

  
_"Klark kom Skaikru."_ Indra kept her face blank and attempted to get them moving again. She narrowed her eyes at a woman that paused near them. Opening her mouth to tell the woman to move along, she stopped at the raised hand from the commander.

 

Hearing the village chief speak, Teyla stopped walking and turned to the three powerful and intimidating women. _"Begging you pardon chief, but it's Klark kom Kru."_ She felt the need to correct the older woman as soon as she heard the scorn buried in her voice when saying the name of the woman who had saved so many of them. When the commander asked her why she claimed the blonde went by that name, she happily explained. _"The man with her addressed her as such. She has pledged herself to protect all people regardless of their clan so it's appropriate."_ Teyla continued on her way after being dismissed.

 

With so much information swirling within her mind, Lexa didn't notice that they began walking again until Indra halted her outside of the tent that held the prisoner. She paused at the warning from Indra.

 

  
_"The man seems to only fear the sky girl so we left the body of his companion in there to remind him of what he will face should we need to bring her back due to him not cooperating."_ The smell was already wafting out of the tent but she still wanted the commander to be aware.

 

A clenched jaw and a minute nod was the only response before Lexa strode into the tent. She saw the mutilated corpse first and was shocked by the state of the body. Her face paled when she realized that Clarke was the one who had done it. Thoughts ran through her mind as she accepted the facts that she had recently learned about the blonde. At first she thought that she was horrified. Horrified by the fact that the blonde had turned into a savage since the mountain. Beating her warriors with ease, being capable of torturing a man to an extent that produced the body before her. A sudden thought calmed her raging mind. She realized that her shock and disbelief was only because she saw the blonde as helpless to an extent before. She knew that Clarke was strong and fierce but on the ground she was too loving and far too trusting. That made Lexa feel rather protective of the blonde and that fanned the flames within her to shield the blonde from the horrors of life on the ground. She was well aware that not all of their existence was drowned in pain, suffering, and blood but she didn't want the blonde to experience any more of it than she needed to. The evidence so far, with the body before her being the most convincing, showed Lexa that the blonde was just as strong, if not more so, than her. Hiding a small smile, the commander realized that she was doing the blonde a disservice in believing that she was a damsel that needed sheltering or that she was a delicate flower that couldn't survive a storm. She didn't need protection. The blonde could handle anything that the ground threw at her and she would do what needed to be done to protect her people. _Which apparently is everyone now._ Without her consent, Lexas heart swelled within her chest to the point that it felt it would burst from the pesky cage that was her ribs. Thoughts of the amazing blonde flooded her mind for only a moment before she turned to the alive prisoner. He would answer her questions if only for fear of the blonde, of that she had no doubt.  


* * *

  
After going on a quick hunt, Lincoln and Octavia walked into the village. They had taken down four deer and a dozen rabbits with the sole intent of bringing it back for the villagers. Octavia ignored the looks being sent their way, mostly to Lincoln, but she could feel her anger rising. Looking around, she realized they weren't staring at them so much as the silver mask adorning Lincolns face from Clarkes blood. It was rather creepy that he was wearing the blood of her friend but she could understand the necessity behind it. She didn't want a repeat of what happened the night before. For a while, she had thought that her lover was going to die. It had been the most devastating thing she had ever experienced when she saw him collapse to the ground with the sword still sheathed in his flesh. Clarke saving him was the only thing that mattered, she didn't care about anything else that happened. After the blonde had finished her vigorous questioning of the prisoner, Octavia smothered her in love. It felt like words weren't enough to show very much she was grateful for her friend saving her lover. Since they knew each other so well, wordless comfort was also the best. They could bask in each others presence and soak up all of the comforting and loving vibes pouring out from the other. That was how the night before had gone. Her thoughts were interrupted by a growl from Lincoln.

 

  
_"This is annoying. It is uncomfortable and is getting itchy."_ He scrunched up his face in the attempt to relive the tickle caused by the dry and flaking blood.

 

Octavia giggled at the disgruntled face he was making. _"I can imagine. But you need to keep it on. I wouldn't be able to handle it if what happened yesterday happened again."_ Looking up to stop the moisture building in her eyes, she took a deep breath and spoke again. _"Do you know of someone who could make you silver war paint?"_  


 

  
_"Yes actually. The last place that I saw them was TonDC. Perhaps they are still there."_ Lincoln smiled at his love. _"Why didn't I think of that?"_  


 

A smug grin spread across Octavia's face that did nothing to hide the adoration bursting from her eyes. _"What can I say I'm brilliant."_ Finally reaching the center of the village, they were directed to a large structure. A man bruised from the attack the day prior invited them in to drop off the animals so that they could be prepared for the village. With a smile on each of their faces, they managed to exit while the man continued to thank them for all of the help in caring for their village.

 

Lexa was waiting outside. While the two were walking over to donate their kills, Lexa had watched from afar while searching for Clarke near them. The warm emotions in the their eyes and smiles upon their faces were erased as soon as they saw her waiting for them. She knew that she deserved worse so she swallowed the pain it caused her to have two of the people Clarke cared most for look at her as though she were the enemy. _"Okteivia, Linkon. I hope that all is well."_  


 

  
_"Thank you Heda. We are fine."_ The brunette warrior shrewdly watched the commander. While she forgave Clarke for everything that had happened, the same couldn't be said for Lexa. It wasn't nearly as strong towards the commander though as she was never a friend when she betrayed her. Speaking with both Clarke and Wanheda made her realize that with the limited choices presented to them, the blonde and Lexa made the right choices. At least up until the choice at the mountain. But that decision wasn't as bad. Her people survived and she knew that the deal Lexa accepted saved many of the warriors who otherwise would have died. Her anger was mostly concerned with how the choices Lexa made affected Clarke.

 

A nervousness overcame Lexa. Despite desperately needing to know about the blonde, she was afraid to ask and be denied. _"I am told that both Klark and another man helped defend this village yesterday. Thank you."_  


 

Lincolns face softened. He knew the look in the commanders eyes well, it was one that he knew was on his face many times while thinking about Octavia. _"It was nothing, we only did what anyone would do. We just got back from a hunt. They are in the home offered to us for our stay here."_ Fighting a smile, he watched a flash of jealousy pass quickly over her features. He kept his mouth shut and the emotions bottled up. It wasn't his place to explain that Zion was more of a father figure than anything.

 

  
_"Could you please let her know that I would like to speak with her when she has time?"_ Lexa could see the questions forming in the narrowed eyes of Octavia. Completely beyond her control she started rambling. _"I wish to thank her for protecting my people when I couldn't. None of you had any reason to put your lives on the line for this village and I appreciate it. I wanted to also speak with her regarding the prisoner. The information that she gathered is extremely important and will help protect our people in the future."_ With tremendous effort, Lexa snapped her mouth closed and fought against the blush teasing at her cheeks. She didn't know why she was feeling so nervous. She supposed that it had everything to do with not wanting the people that Clarke trusts to hate her. Normally she wouldn't care but having the blondes friends on her side or at least not against her would hopefully help in regaining Clarkes trust.

 

Octavia continued her narrow eyed stare as the commander spoke. It was easy to see that she wanted to speak with Clarke but not for any of the reasons that she just described. Her mind raced with thoughts. Typically, she and Clarke didn't discuss Lexa. It was pretty clear that there had been something there until whatever it was turned to dust after the mountain. If it had been her and Lincoln was the one to betray her, she didn't think she could ever get over the pain. But she didn't think it would erase the love either. A part of her wanted Clarke to confront Lexa and all of the feelings related to her but the other part didn't want her friend to hurt. The blonde had been happy and carefree in a way that she hadn't seen before. She didn't want Lexa barging in to upset that. Deciding it wasn't her decision to make she nodded. _"I will let her know."_  


 

After giving them directions on where she could be found, the couple headed back to the house. Each were stuck in their own thoughts on what this would mean for them but more importantly for Clarke. They were concerned that on top of the revelation on Clarkes destiny, this news may end up being a tipping point. Before they made it to the house, they spotted Clarke and Zion outside playing with some of the children. They walked up to stand beside some of the parents near their children and watched. Zion noticed them first and lightly elbowed the blonde. She looked up with a smile and waved them over.

 

Not wanting to tell her friend with an audience, Octavia tried to get the blonde to follow her but was ignored in favor of a chubby toddler pulling on blonde locks. With a sigh, she attempted to explain in German. "Das Kommandant ist hier Klark. Fragte sie zu sprechen mit sie wann sie haben zeit." (The commander is here Klark. She asked to speak with you when you have time.)

 

Clenching her jaw against the flash of panic, Clarke deflected. "Nein, es ist: Der Kommandant ist hier. sie bat, mit Ihnen zu sprechen, wenn sie zeit haben." (No, it's: The commander is here. She asked to speak with you when you have time.) The small laugh that she threw in wasn't nearly as convincing as she had hoped.

 

  
_"Klark."_ Octavia gave her a stern look accompanied with a raised eyebrow. She watched the blonde sigh, hand off the child to it's parent, and walk further away with a gesture for the brunette to follow her.

 

The blonde looked around. She didn't want to share her confusion with the people milling around but she knew that Octavia wanted to talk about it. "Ich dachte mir, dass ich sie irgendwann wiedersehen würde. Ich dachte nicht, dass es so bald sein würde."

 

  
_"Woah. Okay you do realize that my German is still a work in progress right? That was way too fast for me."_ She wished that her language skills were better but made a commitment to herself to start working on it even more.

 

A sheepish smile was sent to the brunette. _"Right. Sorry. I only said that I knew at some point I would see her again but it's just so soon. I-I don't know how I feel about it."_ Clarke sighed as the brunette made a 'go on' motion with her hands. _"Look I understand why she did what she did but how can you ever move past something like that? If she can so easily throw me away then, what happens when another situation arises with similar choices? I honestly can't tell you how I feel about her now and I really have no desire to try and figure it out today."_ Shaking her head, she focused on her friend. _"Well I might as well get it over with yeah? Will you guys come with me? I have a feeling I'll need all of your strength."_  


 

  
_"Of course. I'll go get the guys."_ Octavia smiled and turned away to gather the troops. Shortly after, she came back with the men in tow and lead the way to where the commander would be. She watched Clarke pause outside the building as she knocked and announced their presence.

 

At the sound of Lexa granting them entrance, Clarke clenched her jaw. She knew that she could get through a meeting with the woman who left her for dead but the emotional strain it may cause had her worried. In preparation for that, Clarke adopted her emotionless mask and icy eyes. Taking a deep, steady breath Clarke walked in the tent. Ready to face the woman that she could have loved if things had been different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note. The prophecy in this chapter is based on the song The Rising End (The First Prophecy) by Zao.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello once again guys. I apologize for the wait on the new chapter. Please comment on anything that you like or dislike. Any questions or clarifications that you need will also be answered in the comments section.  
> There is one thing that I wanted to touch base on. Someone asked about the update schedule and I want to be completely real with you. I can guarantee that there will be at least one chapter posted per month but I will try to update every 2-3 weeks. It will depend on my inspiration and also my work schedule.  
> Also, I have another Clexa story that popped into my mind that I have been writing lately. It's no where near ready for human consumption at this point but I can tell you that it is a modern, magic, demon AU. Once I'm ready, I will post that story here but I refuse to halt this fic only to start and dedicate all of my time on another.   
> For this chapter, I did absolutely no editing so if there are any grammatical or sentence structure issues, I own it and I'm sorry. At some point, I will go through each chapter to edit them.  
> Please enjoy!

Upon entering the room, Clarke realized that she may not have been as ready to face the commander as she had originally convinced herself. The fact that she had the three people that she trusted most in the world with her helped a small amount. No matter what, she knew that they would walk through fire or face down the devil for her without hesitation. Just as she would do for them. That was the only reason that she reigned in her bubbling emotions to face a reminder of one of the most painful parts of her past. Despite her resolve to meet the commander, Clarke avoided directing her eyes to the other woman. She needed a moment. It seemed as though her inner conflict only increased the enhanced senses that she now had. The scent hit her first, the moment she walked in it was as though that unique smell was the only thing she noticed. It smelled like the forest after a heavy rain, the moist greenery and wet dirt, the smell of electricity in the air. Something so beautiful and vital to life. Underneath that was the scent of smoke. The smell wafting from fire, but not just any fire, one that was the only thing that beat away the cold and darkness of the winter. One that was all the protection one had against the harshness of the world. Another scent tickled at her nose, one that she never noticed before. It was the soft notes of lavender. The fresh, crisp scent was interwoven between the earthier scents. It was such a strange combination yet each smell fit together seamlessly. Clarke wasn't sure why, but it smelt like home even though what had once been her home was suffused with the smells of stale air and metal.

The overwhelming feelings that Clarke felt just from the smell that was all Lexa caused her quite a bit of confusion. The first thing she felt was pain. It felt as though the very heart within her chest was being squeezed. The sheer intensity of the ache made her briefly wonder whether her earlier thought that she only might have possibly loved Lexa was true. She wondered if she had actually fallen in love in the few short days of knowing the other girl but the realization of that fact simply got buried beneath the war and the resulting aftermath. Even though that was enough to leave her floundering, she thought on the other emotions battling within her. She had already addressed the emotions following the mountain in depth but she thought that all that she felt was sadness and disappointment. The hurt was very much present and hit her so much stronger simply by being close to the other girl but what surprised her was the flickering flames of anger within her chest. It wasn't anger over the choice that Lexa had made despite her knowing that it wasn't necessarily the correct one, it was anger at the hurt she had caused the blonde. As the thoughts tumbled through her mind, the blonde decided that a part of that anger actually was in fact due to the commanders choice. The older girl had made a decision without having full knowledge on all the possible consequences. If Clarkes people had lost, those from the mountain would have been free to roam in the open air with their superior weapons. Not just that either. Clarke didn't quite understand how the brunette was so willing to sacrifice an entire village in order to win a war only to back out at the last moment. But that anger was miniscule compared to the anger she felt about the personal betrayal. Clarke clenched her jaw tightly against the turmoil she felt, choosing to ignore the steel bands of pain and anger that were winding together to wrap around her chest. With an internal reminder to keep herself together, the blonde turned towards the brunette. Her breath hitched within her throat and her eyes widened slightly.

It wasn't the sight of the green eyed beauty that shocked her but what was behind her. There was a shadow standing directly behind the commander. Despite it being composed of only darkness, the shape was clearly that of a woman. A very tall woman. It was nearly seven feet tall but had a curvy silhouette with long hair that seemed to float around the figure in an unseen and unfelt breeze. The shadows hands were placed upon the commanders shoulders. Almost as though noticing Clarkes attention, the shadow moved. She bent down to whisper in the commanders ear before standing tall once more. Clarke somehow heard the whispering voice but was unable to make the words out. The blonde noticed that Lexa had slightly tilted her head when the shadow spoke so she concluded that the brunette could hear the shadow as well. The silence drew out a little too long to be comfortable so Clarke spoke while still avoiding looking straight at the brunette. _"Heda. You wished to speak with me?"_ The shock on the commanders face was easy to decipher even without looking into the other girls eyes. It was slightly amusing to her to know that the commander wasn't expecting her to speak the language. She was honestly shocked that more people weren't very surprised that she could speak it just as well as them.

_"Yes I did. Thank you for coming. I wanted to thank yo-all of you for what you have done for the people of Shep. I doubt that so many would have been saved without your assistance."_ The commanders verbal fumble didn't stop her from looking to each of them and nodding once in deep gratitude.

Preparing herself, Clarke finally looked into the commanders eyes. It felt like a punch straight into her gut. _How could I have forgotten how deep her eyes are? Or the exact shade of green?_ She felt the previous pain turn into anguish as she looked into those green, expressive eyes and realized that she did in fact already love the other girl. The awareness of that fact made it so much worse. _What do you do when the person that you love could easily throw your life away without a second_ thought _if it was for the good of their people?_ She wished that there was someone that could answer that question for her. As it stood, she didn't know how she could overcome that knowledge. Despite the pain it would cause, the blonde hungrily took in the sight of the other girl but kept the hard mask over her features so that no one would know. Lexa looked just the same if not a little more worn. Her hair was flowing and braided back. The brown strands looking as soft as silk. The heavy winter clothing did nothing to disguise the power the woman held within her frame. Clarke couldn't help but wonder what caused the dark circles beneath the other girls eyes or the slightly sunken cheeks. No matter the stoic look to the brunettes face, Clarke could see that her eyes were still as open as ever. There was a brightness to the brunettes eyes that hinted at relief or even happiness. The pure magnetism that the blonde felt to those green eyes was all consuming. She wanted to know why those eyes were so bright, what thoughts were making them shine. Those thoughts were dangerous, they could only lead to further heartbreak. Clarke flicked her eyes to the side once again to make herself stop staring. Swallowing everything that she felt, Clarke turned back to the conversation. _"We need no thanks. It was our pleasure to help. We couldn't sit idly by and allow those men to hurt the village further. Although the deaths were hard, I fear that some of those that lived may find the memories of what had been done to them too much to handle."_

_"You saved them, that is what matters. Life is hard but we are all survivors."_ An inaudible sigh was released from the commander. _"I spoke with the prisoner. I appreciate what you have done to get that information and Onya filled me in on the original confession from that man. If he speaks the truth, I fear that we have a difficult battle before us."_

With a frown, Octavia thought about that. They had gotten a run down of the tales that spilled from the prisoners mouth and while she didn't think that he was lying to them, she wondered about the story. _"It may be true that there is a whole new clan to worry about if it came to a war but the prisoner also said that the Azgeda have been confined to their lands since they have no loyalty for the emperor. Maybe that would work in our favor?"_ She saw the understanding light up in Clarkes face but decided to explain for the others. _"If we could get into Azgeda and speak with the people, they might agree to a revolution. Yeah there may be thousands of invading warriors setting up camp in their land, but I bet there are more Azkru. Even if there aren't we may be able to slowly sneak warriors in and help."_

_"There is still time before the attack is to begin if what that fool said was true. But would the people of Azgeda even listen to someone not of their clan? From what I've heard, Nia was a major supporter in the idea that Azgeda was all supreme while the rest of the coalition was to be looked down upon."_ Thoughts, plans, and questions began running through the blondes mind. She had a few ideas on how to get a foothold in the clan but it would take time and a lot of luck. Both of which were in short supply.

The commander paused as she watched the blondes mind running at Octavia's words. _"They most likely won't be open to Trikru assistance but at this point, I doubt they will reject help if they are in fact unhappy with the current state of their clan. It's something that we can think on but we will need an opportunity to observe how the people are feeling."_ Her thoughts on the matter were cut short when Indra stormed into the room with her weapon drawn while Anya followed quickly behind her. Lexa watched as the village chief quickly headed towards Lincoln and prepared to halt her approach when the woman raised her sword to the unarmed man.

With a sigh of irritation, Clarke spun on her heel to face the angry storm cloud that was Indra. She swiftly placed herself in front of Lincoln and brought her wings forth to add to the wall she herself became between the two. _"Once again Indra. You will not touch him."_

_"He is nothing but a traitor and deserves the death that status affords him."_ Indra snarled at the impassive face of the blonde. Knowing that the commander was there, she was sure that she would be allowed to do what needed to be done. Her confidence in that was immediately snuffed out however.

_"Indra. Enough!"_ Lexa shot a hard look at the older woman for her actions. The command was enough to make her back down for the moment and she headed towards the commander to further appeal to her.

The blonde watched on with slightly narrowed eyes. It was easy to see that Indra wasn't going to drop the issue so she decided to take the situation in hand to move things along. _"Heda, in case you weren't aware Linkon kom Kru swore allegiance to me with his life, service, and blood. He has become one of my people and as such he has been absolved of his previous crimes. As I'm sure you already know, when something such as this happens the person he has sworn his oath to takes on his previous crimes regardless of what those may be. Typically, the previous clan will accept this since the oath was accepted and they will drop their grievance and move on. They would only seek punishment if a crime is committed after the oath was given. I am aware however that not all accept that and choose to demand justice for a crime committed previous to the oath. As I have accepted his vow and have sworn one to him in return, I am responsible for taking on any punishment. That is something that I will gladly do only if this grievance against Linkon stops once the punishment has been dealt."_

_"No Klark. I cannot allow you to do this for me."_ Lincoln stared at the blonde with wide eyes. He was well aware that he would never be accepted by Trikru again but having his friend willingly accept any punishment for him would be unacceptable.

The blonde turned to him with a slight smile on her face and gentle eyes. _"Linkon. I knew of the possibility of this happening when I accepted your oath. It is not something that I was not already prepared to face for you. Since the time that you and I met, you have been a friend. Even when I let you be tortured. You have stuck by my side every moment and in every action. Not once have you deserted me. No matter the trials that we have endured, you have supported me and believed in me which is more than I can say for most people."_ Clarke reached out to her friend and gripped his shoulder firmly.  _"_ _Just as you have sworn to protect me, I have done the same for you. So please let me do this."_ Clarke could see the acceptance slowly bleed in his expression but the anger in Octavia's face was easy to see. "Später. Wir werden darüber diskutieren." (Later. We will discuss this outside.) Each nodded in agreement, though some more reluctant than others. She turned back to the three powerful women before them and saw the varying looks on each of their faces. Indra, while not happy, looked mollified that someone would be answering for the crime. Anya flicked her eyes around, landing on one person before immediately looking at the next as though she was nervous that the tension in the room would escalate to something more. The stoic look remained on Lexas face but the blonde was well versed in reading those green eyes. They held sadness and a grudging acceptance, the knowledge that the course of action that would take place was necessary.

_"I assume Indra that you wish to seek punishment from Linkons crimes?"_ Barely holding back a sigh, Lexa watched the woman nod her head in agreement. _"Very well."_

Clarke stepped forward. _"I have a few conditions."_ The commander waved a hand to both silence the now fuming Indra and to have the blonde continue. _"Onya must be the one to lead the punishment. After today, no one is allowed to go after Linkon for the crime I will be paying for. If they do, I will not hesitate to destroy each and every one of them. And I need to speak with my friends before it begins."_

_"You dare make demands?! Despite what you may believe, you are nothing. I should take your tongue just for speaking to the commander that way."_ The fury Indra felt was twisting her face into a snarl.

The blonde was not impressed. She had dealt with monsters much worse than the village chief on her worst day. One of which was herself. _"These are simple requests. I could instead demand an honor duel with you Indra to the death instead of allowing you to punish me for crimes that have not harmed any of your people."_

_"As if you could beat me sky girl! I would be the victor in a fight against you."_ Indra scoffed. The warning looks that she received from Lexa and Anya were easily dismissed in her anger.

The impassive look remained on Clarkes face as she stared down the darkening face of the bristling woman. _"That may be so however your loss would be felt if you did not succeed. You are respected as a great leader and a fearsome warrior within your clan for a reason Indra. If I happened to defeat you, I would be doing a disservice to the Trikru. It would be detrimental for your people to lose you. I would rather not take that chance."_ The words were spoken with a firm certainty. She didn't part with those words to get the woman to change her mind or to inflate her ego but rather because she knew them to be true. No matter how much scorn and derision Indra gave to Clarke and her friends, the woman was loyal and honorable. If she didn't feel so passionate about getting her point across, Clarke would have laughed at the shocked look on Indras face after her words were spoken aloud. Instead, she looked to the commander to see whether she would agree.

_"That is acceptable. Onya will decide a fitting punishment for the crime and it will be carried out at sun down."_ Lexa watched the blonde nod and walk over to the general. She had no desire to eavesdrop but the words between the two carried to all in the room.

_  
"Why me Klark? I don't believe that this should happen at all so why choose me to pick what the punishment should be?"_ The general hissed out her complaint to the blonde. She didn't care that anyone heard her since she didn't want this to happen in the first place. The knowledge that Clarke had done so much for her people caused the very idea of hurting her further for something so pointless was making her uneasy.

Clarke felt Zion walk up behind her. They were the only two that knew what could happen so were very much on the same page even though Zion didn't know why Anya was chosen. _"I picked you because you are aware of my...thirst. I am under no illusion that I will not bleed from this. You must listen to Zion. It is beyond important. If he tells you to stop, you must heed his warning until he gives the okay to continue. As long as you do that, I will not hurt anyone."_

_"What does your thirst have to do with anything?! Besides, you will be bound tightly so I hardly think you will be a danger to anyone."_ Anya felt flustered by the conversation. The images that flew through her mind of the two times she saw Clarke drink blood was roughly shoved aside.

A sad smile passed over the blondes lips. _"All you need to know is that I will become very thirsty as I lose blood. No matter how tightly restrained I am, if I get too thirsty I will break free and I may injure many people before I can see reason again. I am not telling you to stop whatever punishment you decide on, only that you pause when Zion tells you to."_

_"I will be able to let her drink some during the small breaks to ensure that any danger to your people is not present."_ Zion looked earnestly at the general as she absorbed the information. He could see that she understood at least a small part of the warning but no one besides him and the blonde knew what could happen if Clarke fell into bloodlust.

The general huffed and agreed to the condition set. She thought for a moment to decide on a punishment that her people would accept for the past crime of one of their own. _"I have decided. Klark kom Kru will receive 100 cuts as Linkon betrayed his people for 100 sky children. Once each cut has been delivered, that betrayal will be banished from our minds."_

With a quick word in agreement, Clarke began to leave the room with her friends. She did promise to speak with them after all and she knew that Octavia and Lincoln would have questions about many of the things that they heard. Before she walked out, the blonde heard the commander call out to her. She turned her head to the side to let the other girl know that she was listening. _"Once you have spoken with them, could you please come see me?"_ A nod was the only response before she swept out of the room. With a quick stride, Clarke caught up to her friends as they headed into the trees for privacy.

_"What the hell Klark? Why did you agree to that?"_ The small frame of the brunette warrior was nearly vibrating in her anger and dread. She was well aware of why Clarke accepted it but her fear and nerves made her question the blonde regardless.

A sigh escaped from Clarkes throat as she slumped against a tree. _"You know why O. We have been in Trikru lands for over two months and I'm sure that we will still be here for a while. It's better that this is out of the way now so that we don't have an idiot actually succeed in killing Linkon next time. I knew of the laws when I accepted his oath, I knew that this could happen. Not gonna lie though, I was hoping that it wouldn't come to this but I will survive it."_

Octavia scoffed. No matter the fact that she knew Clarke would live, she didn't want to have to sit and watch as people sliced into her friend a hundred times. _"If you are so sure that you will be fine, why did you ask Onya to stop when Zion tells her to?"  
_

The uneasy look on the blondes face was easily seen so Zion stepped in to explain. He knew that the other two needed to know and despite Clarkes concerns, they would understand. _"As you know, Klark needs blood to live. Never a lot or often though unless she becomes injured. When she looses blood, she must drink and it may be a lot depending on how much is lost. I have seen other Wanhedas who either refused to drink completely or who were gravely injured turn into near mindless beasts. The body takes over the mind in the drive to replenish what has been lost. If that were to happen tonight, Klark could hurt or kill anyone present until the fog of bloodlust is cleared from her mind."_ He paused as he remembered witnessing the horrors that had occurred in the past due to that very thing. _"As long as Onya stops when I direct her to, I can feed Klark enough blood to avoid that from happening. Once the punishment has been completed she will need to hunt however."_

_"Hunt?"_ Both Octavia and Lincoln looked uncertainly to the blonde.

She rolled her eyes but was thankful for that ridiculous question. The memories of the past lives of Wanheda could be unpleasant and the one that succumbed to bloodlust had ravaged whole villages. _"Geez guys. I love the faith that you have in me. The hunt will be for animals. I require more animal blood than human but it's better that I don't accidentally kill an innocent person. But seriously don't worry so much about me. I had to learn to accept immense physical pain during my bonding with Wanheda. If I hadn't then I would never have woken up."_

_"I'm sorry but what the hell did you just say? You could have died in that bunker?!"_ Octavia was in slight shock. She knew very little about the actual process that the blonde went through. The training, the language skills, the fact that time worked differently was all that she knew. They had never really gone into too much depth about it though. The fact that the blonde may have died in that underground bunker was never even hinted at.

Zion looked curiously at the slack jawed brunette. _"I told you this the day that she woke up. She was in extreme pain from the changes and the merging with Wanheda. The final test was for her to overcome that pain and stay conscious through it."_ He frowned as the warrior huffed and began to mutter under her breath while she paced. It was common knowledge to him and he shared that information with the two present. He wasn't entirely sure what the issue was until a sudden thought struck him like lightening. The sky fallen were not warriors, they had never been conditioned to accept any and all pain and push through it. Those who lived on the ground had developed an extremely high tolerance to pain, their warriors never used dull weapons during a spar so that they had training on dealing with any injuries while pushing on in a fight. Excluding the children of course, they had training weapons that would only bruise an opponent until they became proficient enough in wielding a blade.  

_"So after the cutting ceremony I'll be leaving for a time."_ The blondes eyes followed her pacing friend. She didn't know whether to be amused or concerned for her mental state. _"It shouldn't be for more than a day or two however. Will you guys be okay here? Or did you want to move on and I can meet up with you somewhere else?"_

Lincoln turned his attention away from his love to his friend. He felt a stab of guilt hit him when he thought of what was about to happen to her but the calm look in the blondes eyes slightly soothed the feeling. _"There shouldn't be a problem with us staying here but in case there is an issue we will use Reivons..._ radio _?"_ Clarke nodded to him while Octavia's lips twitched at how the unfamiliar word rolled from his tongue. _"To let her know if we need to leave. So if you do not find us here then go to Reivon."_

The blonde agreed to the arrangement. She sincerely hoped that there wouldn't be any problem and almost asked them to go with her on her hunt but the idea that she may become out of control made that idea shrivel away. They made final plans and attempted to reassure the worries they all had before Clarke left to meet the commander.

* * *

 

With attentive eyes, Lexa watched Clarke swiftly leave the room after the agreement had been made. Her attention was swiftly redirected to Indra as she saw the other woman move. The anger and irritation the commander had felt previously flamed higher as she watched the chief with narrowed eyes. The doubt that was on the older womans face didn't lessen the feeling. It was clear that the blondes words to and about Indra had shaken her. Lexa was honestly surprised at the respect that Clarke demonstrated considering how scathing Indra was to her. Despite the uncertainty and concern that was shining through the mask placed on Indras face, she sharply ordered the woman to leave. She didn't want to do something that she may later regret. With stiff shoulders, Indra spun on her heels and quickly left. As soon as Lexa was left in the room with Anya, her frame slumped.

The vision of blue eyes and golden hair invaded Lexas mind. The meeting had gone over entirely differently than she had hoped. Instead of trying to find common ground with the woman she betrayed, she agreed to have the blonde restrained and cut for the crimes of another. No matter her personal feelings on the matter though, she knew that it had to happen. Thinking about everything that happened made Lexa think back over the entire meeting again. It was both a relief and painful all at once.

The first glimpse that the commander had of the blonde in months was terrible and beautiful. Clarke looked so very different than she remember but not different at all at the same time. Lexas eyes first took in the sight of the blondes appearance. No longer was she wearing her sky clothes with her hair flowing free. She was dressed from head to toe in black. From her boots to the strips of black cloth interwoven into her hair. Concern flitted through the commanders eyes when she noticed the thin looking jacket that opened into a loose and flowing top. There was no possible way that the blonde could keep warm in the snow with so few layers and furs. Lexa let her eyes wander from the blondes body to her face and felt her breath hitch in her chest. She never pictured Clarke dressing as one of her people but the sight of it was so right. Somehow the braids throughout blonde hair with cloth, beads, and feathers twisted in was even more beautiful then when the hair was loose and looked like a waterfall composed of the suns rays. Next her gaze focused on the blondes face. She felt as though she were drowning in the blue sea of the blondes eyes even though the other girl wouldn't look directly at her. The eyes were different now though. It appeared as though yellow was added into the blue irises but she couldn't tell for sure without a closer examination. And the blue wasn't the same. Instead of bright flaming blue, it was as though the flame within those eyes was slightly dimmed and distorted behind the glass that now resided in the blondes eyes. It didn't detract from the overwhelming beauty of her eyes but made her look somehow more untouchable than she once was. Her gaze dropped down the elegant slope of Clarkes nose to rest upon plump lips. Lexa was powerless to remember exactly how soft they were and how warm they tasted.

_"Leksa."_ Anya could see that the commander was lost in thought. Not knowing what was running through the brunettes mind was making her uneasy. She knew that it would be difficult for Lexa to face the blonde and all of the emotions she caused and she knew that the meeting didn't go to plan. Not that she had the slightest idea of what that plan may have been.

_"She wouldn't even look at me Onya. Not for longer than a few moments at a time."_ The commander felt that knowledge brutally squeeze her heart and lungs. _"Did you see her face? There was nothing there at all. Seeing Klark with no emotion whatsoever on her face was the most crushing thing that I have ever felt. She was always so passionate about everything and wore every feeling on the outside. I didn't see any of that. Not sadness, disappointment, anger...nothing."_

The general sighed. _"I told you that she was different than you remember Leksa. But I will admit that the emotionless mask she wears is more unsettling than if one of our people were to wear it."_

_"Yes you did tell me. However you seem to have forgotten to mention that she was the winged woman. Or that she was the one who 'interrogated' the prisoner. Or that she can heal those that were almost dead."_ Lexa raised a single eyebrow and directed a rather pointed look to the general.

A huff and an eye roll was directed at the commander. _"Yes I did happen to not mention those things. But can you blame me? You were still under the impression that she was the soft princess who fell from the sky and needed protecting. I know that the only thing that rid you of that belief was when you saw the prisoners. My words wouldn't have made a difference and besides you already had a hard enough time accepting the fact that she was an amazingly skilled warrior."_

Lexa answered that reasoning with a grumble. There was no way that she would admit to her friend that she was right. No matter what words Anya used to describe the blonde, Lexa was well aware that she wouldn't have believed them. Proof was what she needed and while she knew that she didn't know everything different about the blonde, the facts that she had so far discovered painted quite the picture for who the blonde was now. _"Do you think she will ever forgive me Onya?_

_"I don't know Leksa."_ Anya felt her heart break for the lost look on the commanders face as she asked that. _"You saved your people, there was nothing else that you could have done."_

Guilt ate away at Lexa as her friend added that. The running emotions made her confess to something that not one other living soul knew. _"That wasn't the reason that I left her on that mountain."_ She could see the question in the middle of shock on the generals face. _"I was alone when that foul man made the offer so no one else heard. He had some type of device that allowed me to see things at a great distance. He showed me Klark and the three red dots on her chest. Those dots were from maunon weapons. He told me that if I didn't accept the offer to retreat with my people, not only would those in the mountain die but he would give the order for Klark to be killed. I couldn't let her die Onya. I would have stayed and fought by her side but I just couldn't sacrifice her to give our people justice."_

_"Leksa. Why didn't you tell her this?"_ Anya wasn't entirely surprised by this new information. It was clear that the commander cared for the blonde more than she had ever cared for anyone. There was no doubt in the generals mind that she wouldn't allow the blonde to die. What was surprising was that Lexa had ordered a retreat and denied her people their rightful justice for the crimes of the mountain. There had never been a time that she didn't put her people first. While technically she still did by saving her people, she used her duty to protect her own people to also protect the blonde.

The brunette sighed and shook her head. _"I couldn't tell her. That foul man was with me and our army was at Klarks back. She needed to think that I betrayed her so that our people thought the same. They wouldn't tolerate my weakness. It wouldn't have made a difference either way though. I still had to leave her there and she still would have killed them all."_ Anya looked as though she was going to argue with the logic but was interrupted by a knock. Taking a deep breathe, Lexa prepared to face the blonde once again. Anya walked over to hold the door open for the blonde and left the two alone.

_"Heda."_ Clarke fought with herself. Her eyes either wanted to stare into the wild green of the other girl or flit around the room to avoid them. She couldn't seem to decide which was for the best so her eyes kept up their constant movement.

The commander took in the blonde again. She was hungry for every detail that she could find. The way that Clarke held her body like a warrior now. How despite her impassive behavior, the blondes eyes were restless. How the light streaming into the room lit up the creamy skin and blonde hair. _"Thank you for coming Klark."_ She hesitated. There was so much that she wanted to know but she knew that she didn't deserve any answers. _Not yet. "How are you?"_

Eyes snapping up to meet green, Clarke felt confused. The voice Lexa used was not the commanders, it was all Lexa. Soft like a spring rain and smooth like honey. The vulnerable quality laced into the sound was unnerving. She knew that Lexa was more than the commander but in the past it was always a struggle to bring the girl out from behind Heda. Now it was freely offered and Clarke wasn't sure why. _"I am well Heda."_ Clarke swallowed harshly and couldn't seem to stop herself from asking. _"And you?"_

A sad smile graced the brunettes face and contradicted her answer. _"As am I. It seems that I have to thank you for saving more than this village. I was unaware that you were the bandit hunter that I have been hearing so much about."_

_"As I said before, thanks is not needed. We have each agreed to this mission and will do everything in our power to help any who need it."_ Even though she had her big reveal it was still difficult to know that others were aware of who the mysterious bandit hunters were. She has never wanted thanks for the things that she had done to protect others and this time was no different.

Lexa could respect that choice but a part of her was confused. The blonde had always been a champion for her people, doing anything no matter how desperate just to keep them safe. She didn't understand why Clarke had separated herself from them so completely and why she had only visited their camp only twice in the past two months and stayed barely more than a day or two each time. She didn't want to outright ask however so decided to test the waters. _"So Klark kom Kru, why have you decided to change your clan name?"_

_"I have decided to help people regardless of clan affiliations. There are many innocents who suffer at the hands of those more powerful than them and few of them have someone to protect them. If I can help even one then I know that I have succeeded."_ She spoke calmly while omitting certain details. Very few knew how true the tales of Wanheda were and even less knew the history behind the name. What she was doing was both her desire as well as the mission of the spirit. She didn't feel comfortable sharing that information with someone that she didn't trust completely.

_"What of the people that you sacrificed so much for?"_ Despite her best efforts, Lexa could feel the command hidden within the question. The tightening shoulders on the blonde showed that Clarke heard it too and certainly didn't appreciate it.

Clenching her jaw tightly once, the blonde pulled in the annoyance she felt. The question was not unreasonable, in fact she figured that many people will ask the very same thing of her in the future. It was the demanding tone that the brunette used that bothered her. _"They are safe for the time being but are just another group of people on the ground. If they are innocent and need protecting, then I will do all that I can for them just as I have been doing for your clan. Do not presume to order me around Heda. I will show you respect as your position requires but I am not one of your people. You have made that point abundantly clear."_ Clarke cursed internally. She hadn't meant to say that last part aloud but her hurt and anger forced the words from her mouth.

_"I did what was necessary to save my people Klark. From what I have heard, you made that same choice in the mountain. You sacrificed one people for the sake of your own just as I did."_ Lexa, while hurt by the blondes words, wouldn't allow the other girl to believe that they were different in that regard or blame her for the choice that she made to save as many of her people as she could. Since Clarke didn't know the main reason behind the retreat, she decided to act as though it had never happened. She had the feeling that it would be seen as false if she tried to use that reasoning now.

The blonde took a deep breathe to pull back on the anger she felt bubbling in her gut. There was much that needed to be said and being blinded by her raging emotions wouldn't help. _"I am not saying that we are different. I am merely pointing out that you do not consider me as one of your people. I do not begrudge you the decision that you made that night."_

_"You don't?"_ The commander barely heard the words spoken before that last statement. She knew that the blonde was devastated by the choice that she made and didn't understand how she was not upset by it.

_"You made the best decision that you could with the information that you had at the time. It was the wrong choice but you did save your people."_ Clarke could see the slight anger in the commanders face so she rushed to continue. _"Do you know why they wanted the people from the sky? We were their cure to radiation. With our marrow, those of the mountain would have been free to walk the ground. They had guns, bombs, missiles, biological weapons, and transportation so fast that no horse could match it. I don't believe for a moment that they would have won in a war with the clans but how many people do you think would have been killed before the mountain was ended? I can tell you it would have been far more than those who you would have been lost during that night. So yes, you made the wrong choice however you are very lucky that I can become quite determined to beat back death for those that I love. Now that I have murdered every maunon, from their warriors to their innocent little babies, you don't have to worry about the destruction that they could have brought upon your people."_

The commander shot backwards as though trying to escape the words coming from the blonde. She wasn't sure if was the truth of the statements that bothered her more or if it was the emotionless way that those words were delivered. She wanted nothing more than to explain the real reason behind that night but she knew that it would change nothing. _"I suppose we will never know if that would have come to pass. As I said before, plans never last long in battle. We can only plan our moves with the information that we have available. I made the best choice that I could by saving hundreds of mine for less than 50 of yours."_

_"You left me to die!"_ Another truth that the blonde didn't mean to say. She just couldn't handle the way that Lexa delivered those rehearsed lines over and over again as though it didn't matter. Despite her desire to remain calm, Clarkes voice steadily raised in her pain. _"Fuck everything else! The people we saved and lost. The future that could have happened if the mountain wasn't destroyed. The duties that we had to our people. That shit doesn't matter right now. You left me to die on that fucking mountain without a second thought!"_

It felt like a slap when Lexa heard those words. She felt off balance now that there was emotion to the blonde. Her words were colored with her feelings, the dimness to her eyes evaporated in her fury, her cheeks were flushed. Gone was the emotionless woman that Clarke had become. From her perspective, the only time she saw life in the blonde thus far was in her anger and that knowledge filled her chest with lead and her veins with ice. _"They were going to kill you!"_

_"What? Who?"_ Clarke was confused and her brow furrowed as she stared at the nearly shouting commander.

_"The maunon. When they gave me the deal they showed me several of their weapons pointing at you. They said that if I didn't accept the offer to leave that they would kill you."_ Lexa sighed. She hadn't wanted to share that information. It seemed as though Clarke wasn't the only one to reveal truths that wanted to stay hidden.

An incredulous look spread across the blondes face even while her heart clenched in hope. _"What did that matter? You sacrificed an entire village just to win that damn war and you left me alone on that mountain knowing that I wouldn't give up and that I would most likely die anyways!"_

_"I couldn't let them kill you if I could do anything to stop it Klark. I wish I could have told you that night but that idiot from the mountain was there. I couldn't risk it."_ She brought her hand up to her face, roughly rubbing her eyes. _"I'm so sorry Klark for what that choice made you do, what it turned you into. I'm sorry that it caused you pain."_ Tears were building up in her eyes and her furious blinking was doing nothing to banish them. She kept her hand on her face to hide the evidence of her weakness for the blonde.

Clarke took in a shaky breath. The hope flickering in her heart grew but was quickly dampened by her thoughts. _"The choices that I have made are entirely my own and I have accepted them. You have not turned me into anything that I wasn't already. As to the pain, I don't think you quite understand the pain you caused. I understood your choice from a professional perspective but our relationship was not just professional. Imagine how you would feel if the woman that you loved left you behind facing nearly impossible odds and a very likely death. Imagine that despite everyone's words, you trusted that woman to protect your heart and your happiness but instead she crushed that very heart that she held in her hands to dust. Imagine how it would feel to be told that the decision to betray you was easily made with her head in simply a few moments. No matter the fact that you made that choice to save me only from an immediate death, I have spent the last two months with the knowledge that I would never be enough. Regardless of your words of an alliance, I was never and will never be of your people. You will always choose me last. I don't hate you for that, in fact I respect it, but that isn't enough for me. It's a simple thing to work with someone to meet common goals and achieve great things together but for some reason you cannot see that. There shouldn't be a war between head and heart. They should work together seamlessly. I know because my every action is made with both. It is possible and I am sorry that you don't see that."_ She didn't realize until she stopped speaking that tears were streaming down her face. Speaking all of that aloud made her feel a painful sort of relief. It was more than difficult to explain all of the rioting emotions but it was necessary to get it off her chest. It was painful though to say the words out loud. Before she put it all into words, they were just emotions clashing around her chest and mind with no clear lines. Now that they were spoken into the air, it was as though they became more real. When Anya walked into the room, the blonde didn't know if she felt relieved or upset that Lexa couldn't respond to her speech.

The general paused when she entered the room. It was clear that some kind of emotional battle had occurred. Both women had tear stained cheeks and red, puffy eyes. No matter how powerful each were, they could still be cut down by matters of the heart. Feeling uncomfortable, Anya shuffled her feet while waiting for someone to say something. Silence reigned. She cleared her throat. _"It is time to begin."_ She watched in amazement as the clearly emotional blonde pulled everything in and adopted a completely blank mask. Clarke walked over to the table set up in the room with a bowl of water. She splashed the cold water onto her face and walked out with a nod to the general. The commanders dismissal prompted Anya to follow the blonde.

Set up in the center of the town was two large posts staked into the ground. Fires and torches surrounded the area in order to illuminate it as the sun was setting. Both warriors and villagers were whispering around the set up. None seemed to know what was going on. Clarke walked over to her three friends and began removing her top clothing, leaving her only in her breast bindings. She quickly braided her hair up and out of the way. Worried looks were thrown her way from every direction. Once prepared, Clarke walked back over to Anya.

_"People of Shep, warriors of Trikru. Today we must deal justice for a crime committed. Klark kom Kru has accepted a sworn oath from Linkon kom Kru and as such has taken any crimes he committed before the oath upon herself. Linkon was once Trikru and had deserted his clan for the 100 sky fallen. When an oath has been accepted, the crimes are normally dropped. However, a Trikru has demanded that a punishment be given. Klark kom Kru will take Linkons place this night and will receive 100 cuts, one for each of the sky fallen he betrayed his clan to protect."_ Anya announced the proceedings loudly so that all could hear. The commander had easily taken her place beside her on the opposite side of Clarke. _"Once this punishment has been dealt, none may act against Linkon or Klark for this offense."_

Clarke watched the crowd closely. There were mostly confused faces and disbelieving muttering. Despite whether the rest of the people may have thought about this, Clarke knew it must be done. She walked over to the two posts and allowed Anya to bind her arms by a thick rope, one to each post. She knew that if she desired to, the rope could be torn through as easily as paper. The general was the first to deliver a cut, one made to her shoulder. No one else stepped forward so Clarke turned her gaze to her friends with the silent request shining from her eyes. Clarke didn't know if it was confusion on why the person who saved their village was being punished was halting the people from coming forward, if it was shock about the markings plainly on display on Clarkes body and the silver blood running down her arm, or if it were something else entirely. Regardless, after each of her friends made a cut the rest slowly followed.

Blocking the pain was easy at the beginning but as each cut was delivered, the burning slices in her flesh was getting to her. About 15 cuts in, Clarke could feel anger brewing within her. A low and nearly silent growl built in her chest as her blood trickled down her form to soak the ground beneath her boots. She knew what was wrong and flicked her eyes over to Zion. Seeing the warning in the blondes eyes, Zion quickly motioned for Anya to stop. He brought over a canteen filled with his blood and that of Octavia and Lincolns as well. They prepared it before hand to ensure her dietary need was not common knowledge. As soon as she took a few swallows, Zion pulled the canteen away and motioned for the cuts to continue.

Clarke felt her mind wandering as each slice was made to her body. Despite all of the times Zion had attempted to teach her how to meditate, she found it much simpler to do so while in pain. The view of the village slowly faded away to be replaced by the white room where she first met Wanheda. Clarke swiveled her head to locate the spirit.

_"Hello Klark."_ The tall form of Wanheda stepped into view. She gave a warm smile to the blonde.

The blonde felt a particularly violent cut be delivered to her ribs and hissed. Her emotional turmoil made her lash out at the spirit before her. _"Why did you pick me?!"_

_"Pick you? What ever made you think that I picked you? Like I am some parasite who looks for any suitable host."_ She raised her brow at the harsh question. It wasn't something that she held against the girl though, she knew what her body was going through and the emotions bruising her heart.

An apologetic look crossed the blondes face. _"I'm sorry. We'll come back to that. It's wonderful to see you and speak with you again. How is this possible?"_ She quickly took the offered hug and felt a comfort that she had almost forgotten. Like two pieces of her were once again joined. _"Vala said that you picked me."_

_"It's a joy to see you again as well Klark. But you could speak with me at any time if only you listened to Zions lessons on meditation."_ She laughed at the disgruntled look on the blondes face. _"As to picking you, that isn't exactly right no matter what Vala said. She may be gifted to see glimpses of the spirit realm but she has never been there. When I told you that I respond to the calls of souls I should have been more specific. I can only hear and respond to one soul. Ours."_

_"You mean I'm you just reincarnated? How exactly would that even work?"_ Clarke was not ashamed to admit she was confused. Her people never believed in this so she never learned.

Wanheda shook her head slightly. _"Vala told you about the different types of souls that linger in the spirit realm. Well when I died, Sienna and Wanheda were one being. The...powers that be, we'll call them, decided to give me an opportunity not given to many others. They separated Sienna from Wanheda. Wanheda was turned into a spirit while the soul of Sienna moved on to be born again. I can only bond with that single soul and only if the conditions were correct. When that soul is reborn, only a piece is of my first life. Some have had only slivers while you carry almost the entire thing. I can't tell you why it works that way, only that it does. That is why you and I are so very similar, you have the most of my original soul."_ She waited until the blonde nodded for her to continue. _"When our soul is reborn and they experience things like we have, I can hear them and join with them. I think the powers made it that way so that when we are born into a mostly happy and pain free life, our soul can enjoy that without the anguish that we carry. There have only been three true Wanhedas before you and after me. Many of our lives were happy without the burden that we carry. Those that lived to adulthood were always leaders in some way, respected by their people, but never had to make the severe choices that we have. Although I have never been able to find our soul in those lives, I see their memories when they die before our soul is born again. So I didn't choose you exactly, it's just our soul and spirit becoming one again."_

_"You know that is something I'll have to think on before I will even be close to accepting it right?"_ Clarke smirked at the other woman. _"So why doesn't Zion know all of this and why didn't he tell me that I can speak to you while meditating?"_

Wanheda laughed at the blonde. She was well aware of how the other thought. _"Yes I know Klark. You are too much of a scientist to simply go with it. Zion doesn't know. Well he knows about the soul reincarnation but there has never been one with as much of our soul as you so it's never been discussed. As to the meditation, it's not something that has ever been done before. The fact that you have the most of our soul makes you and I bound together tighter than ever and because of that, you can do so much more than even I could do when I was alive."_

_"Do you know what other freaky thing is going to happen to me then?"_ It surprisingly didn't bother her that her future as Wanheda was a mystery. She supposed if she knew of everything that could happen to her, she may go a little crazy with the knowledge and the wait.

_"No I don't. This has never happened before but I know everything that is happening to you when it occurs so you can always ask me."_ She smiled at the blonde in reassurance. _"Speaking of weird happenings, I noticed that you saw the spirit of Heda as well."_

With a shocked gasp, Clarke remembered the first view she had of the shadow behind Lexa. She supposed that with everything else going on, she forgot about it. _"Yes! It was really weird at first. I mean there is a practical giant following her around without anyone noticing. Have you ever met her?_

_"No I haven't. I've seen the spirit in passing but nothing more. The fact that you could see her was a surprise. Just another extra thing that you can do I suppose."_ Wanheda looked around as the room began to blur. _"Looks like you're being called back. I'll be here whenever you need me Klark. Remember that."_ She smiled as her and the white room faded.

Clarke blinked her eyes to see Zion before her and holding the canteen to her mouth. She latched on and took several deep pulls before he gently pulled it away. It wasn't enough and she could feel the growl begin to rumble in her throat. The warning look from Zion snapped the blonde out of it. Shortly after, the cuts were finished. Anya spoke loudly to let everyone know the punishment was done and the crime wiped away. Clarke didn't wait any longer, she could feel the thirst building in her body, tightening her throat. The ropes tore just as easily as she assumed as she ripped her arms away from the posts. The large black and blue wings were brought forth and Clarke easily launched herself into the sky after she collected her weapons from Octavia. So singleminded, the blonde didn't notice the shocked gasps from the crowd or the worried looks from Lexa, Anya, and her friends.

The night was spent with Clarke chasing down any large animal she could find. Deer, bear, mountain lion. She made no exceptions. Each animal ran but didn't escape her. She quickly snapped their necks and bit into their throats, drinking every drop down. There was still a part of Clarke that remained purely herself outside of her thirst. That part made sure to clean each kill so that the meat didn't go to waste. She left their bodies high in a tree to protect them from scavengers and scattered the entrails far enough away that any predators were directed elsewhere. Once she was ready to go back to the village she would bring each animal back for the villagers. As the sky lightened with the beginning of dawn, the blonde finally felt her thirst lessen. In it's place a very natural hunger rose up. She realized that she hadn't eaten in almost an entire day. While a grumbling stomach, she headed back to the many bodies of her kills and started a fire. Clarke carved off some thick pieces of one of the deer hanging in the tall tree and set them out to cook. Without the constant motion of tracking and hunting, the blonde realized that she was filthy. Covered in her own silver blood, animal blood, dirt, and various twigs stuck in her braids. With a smirk she thought of what people would think if they saw her then. She was sure she looked like a wilding raised by wolves.

After nearly inhaling the extremely hot pieces of cooking meat, Clarke leaned back against the tree behind her. Even with the memories of the past Wanhedas, she wasn't prepared for the hours of unending thirst which even then wasn't completed sated. With a sigh, Clarke got up and hunted several more animals. She quickly cleaned and added them to the tree with the others. Looking up at the branches, the blonde sighed thinking about how many trips she would need to take to bring them all back. Her silent contemplation was cut short by a sound that didn't belong in the quiet trees. She cocked her head to the side and extended her hearing. Off to the right she heard a woman shouting at something. Telling whatever it was to go away. With a frown, she headed in that direction.

The clearing Clarke could see had what looked like a deep hole where the voice was coming from. The woman was shouting at the slinking form of a black panther circling around the hole with its tail twitching. The animal must have heard her as its ears flicked and its head whipped up to look directly into the blondes eyes. It slowly moved towards the blonde still shrouded in the shadows of the surrounding trees. Without thought, Clarke lowered her body and slowly moved forward. Her sharp fangs were bared and a deep rumbling growl escaped her chest. The panther and the blonde slowly circled each other, neither making a move. The ice blue eyes were locked with eyes a color between gold and light green. The impasse between them was broken when the panther leapt straight at the blonde. Its jaws were stretched wide and razor sharp claws were extended. Both aimed for the chest and throat of the blonde. Clarke was prepared and more than a little amused. She realized that her own fighting style was very similar to the large cats. Still body up until the point of exploding with deadly motion. Clarke reached out before the panther even neared her. She grabbed it by the throat and spun her body to the side, slamming the cat harshly to the frozen ground. It struggled for a moment until a sharp growl from the blonde released right in the cats face made it stop. There was a moment when their eyes were linked that Clarke saw something that seemed more than animal in the cats eyes. She didn't know if it was that moment or the fact that part of her very being was also made of black panther that made her stop. She slowly released her hold on the panthers throat and growled in warning to halt any attempt at another attack. It mewled slightly and slowly backed away.

Once out of her sight, Clarke turned her attention to the hole. She peeked her head over the edge and saw a head of blonde hair. It was an unusual color to see from anyone of the clans. _"Are you alright?"_

Green eyes peered up from a dirt smudged face. "Clarke?"

"Harper? What in the hell are you doing out here?" To say that she was surprised was an understatement. Clarke felt her eyes widen and her jaw drop.

"I was trying to follow you guys when you left camp. You were moving so fast that I was running and I didn't see this damn hole in the ground. I've been down here for a few days and that beast was prowling around so I couldn't get out." She looked around at the crumbling sides of the hole she was in. "Not that I would have had much luck anyways."

Deciding to leave the questions for later, Clarke easily reached down and hauled the other blonde up. She passed off her canteen of water and herded the weak girl back to where Clarke had set up her fire. Cutting off several thick pieces of deer and placing them over the fire, Clarke sat down to assess Harper. She didn't seem to have any serious injuries, only a few small cuts and bruises. "Why did you leave Arcadia?"

"I couldn't stay there anymore. Everyone treats us like children. Like we haven't had to kill just to survive. Like we haven't fought in a war. They look down on us because, according to the rules of the Ark, we are criminals." Harper roughly ran her fingers through her hair. "It's better with the rest of the 100 but there is so much more to this world that makes staying behind the walls of the camp and working in the kitchen seems so unimportant. I've been thinking about this since the first time you visited. What you're doing out here is amazing. I want to help. I need to do some good to balance out all of the shit that I've done."

Clarke could understand but she was unsure regardless. "I get it Harper. More than anyone, I could understand. But what we are doing is dangerous and you have absolutely no training in anything other than a gun. You could easily get killed."

"So teach me. I can learn how to protect myself and you guys." Harper sighed and looked away. "Please Clarke. I need to do this." She let the silence grow with the hope that Clarke would at least think about it. The fact that she had so much to learn from fighting to customs to the very language didn't deter her from her desire to help. When Clarke handed over the cooked meat, she didn't pause for a moment before biting into the delicious meal. She didn't even care that it burned her tongue. Her hunger needed to be dealt with.

Clarke smiled slightly at the other girl. She knew well the feeling of biting into a warm meal after being so hungry it was painful. The previous words and request ran through the blondes mind. She felt amazed that someone else from the sky felt even a little like she did. The need to protect others and make up for the horrors of the past. She just hoped that the other blonde was really requesting in this for the right reasons. Besides that concern, Clarke was overwhelmed just thinking about all of the training the other girl would have to go through to even hold her own. Being on the brink of a war was not the best time to begin training someone but she didn't know if she could honestly turn her away. "Listen Harper. I need to think about this before I can agree. Since you would need a ridiculous amount of training, I need to ask the others how they would feel about this. They would have to help after all."

"Thank you Clarke. I know it's a lot to ask but I want this." Despite not getting an answer, Harper was at least happy to know that Clarke was considering it. Now that her thirst and hunger was dealt with she took in the blonde. There seemed to be no injuries but Clarke was covered in dirt and blood. "No offense meant but what the hell happened to you?"

Clarke chuckled. "Well I accepted an oath from Lincoln so I took on his crime of being a traitor to the Trikru. I received the punishment yesterday, 100 cuts in total. Then I came out here to hunt."

With eyebrows raised almost to her hairline, Harper stared incredulously at the blonde. "I have the feeling that there is much more to the story than that but I'll take it."

"Come on, let's head back to the village. Octavia and the others are already there." Clarke stood up and kicked snow over the fire. Looking up, she remembered all of her kills. "Oh and do you think you're up to helping me carry some of those back?"

Harpers eyes widened when she took in the amount of animals hanging in the trees. She agreed and hefted the smallest deer over her shoulder. The weight made her hope that the village wasn't far. There was a moment of embarrassment when she watched the blonde lift a massive bear and set it across her shoulders as though it weighed nothing. They walked back in silence. Harper found it interesting that Clarke kept turning her head in different directions as though she heard something. She heard no sounds other than the ones of nature and figured that the ability to pick up on any unnatural sounds would be another thing that she would need to be taught.

Clarke could hear rustling. She knew that something was following them and by the soft padding she knew it to be an animal. Since it wasn't a fast pace she knew that the animal wasn't going to attack. She had an idea on what was trailing them but she just didn't know why. Her suspicions were realized when the same black panther from before dropped in next to her. She gave it a curious eye but otherwise ignored the animal since it's muscles were only coiled with the movement required to walk. There was no indication that it had hostile intent. She smirked when Harper stopped dead in her tracks with wide horrified eyes pointed at the large cat. "Don't worry Harper. It..." Clarke leaned over to look at the panthers underbelly. "Sorry, _she_ isn't going to do anything. She is well aware of who the boss is here."

The panther kept pace with them easily and almost seemed to sigh each time they had to take a break for Harper. Clarke honestly didn't know why the cat was staying with them. From her lessons, she knew that panthers weren't pack animals. They traveled alone or with their cubs until such time that they were old enough to be on their own. With a shrug, she continued on and soon could see the village. Walking in, Clarke ignored the looks being sent their way. Most of the people were looking at her in awe but there were a few that had fear on their faces. Considering she contributed so much tp safe the village, the people seemed to view her as a sort of hero but the fact that she was covered in old blood and who she was caused trepidation in some. The other looks were uncertainty and some disgust towards Harper. No matter how much time had passed, the Skaikru were not looked on favorably. Clarke figured she and Octavia weren't subjected it that too much on the fact that they proved themselves to be fierce warriors who would willing face danger and bleed if necessary for the Trikru. She was happy to see that the looks didn't cause Harper any hesitation to enter the village. A lot of the fearful looks were directly to the very deadly panther that was prowling beside Clarke.

After some direction, Clarke and Harper headed to the building that held the food stores for the village. Her new found shadow stayed outside and Clarke briefly felt concern that either the cat would hurt someone or someone would hurt the cat. She shook those thoughts aside and figured the panther could take care of itself. The man who emerged from the building stared wide eyed at the size of the bear casually thrown over her shoulders and mentioned them to enter. She knew that the bear was far too heavy for the man to lift on his own so she followed him through the door and gently deposited the animal. _"I hope you have enough room as there are many more where this came from."_ She smiled easily when addressing the man. He had a thankful smile and warm eyes as he regarding the blonde. That expression flickered slightly when he turned to Harper.

_"Of course Wanheda. It seems that I can never thank you enough for all that you have done for us. Not only did you save my home but you are feeding us as well."_ He offered his arm in a sign of respect.

Grasping the offering arm firmly, Clarkes smile widened. She promised to be back throughout the day to personally deliver each animal and offered to help skin them. Turning, Clarke led the other blonde out of the building and was immediately tackled into a hug. A full and happy laugh was released as Clarke held on tight to the tiny form of Octavia. "O! I told you that I would be fine."

"Yeah yeah I know what you said. But I got worried when you flew out of here without saying a word." She released the hold she had on the blonde but kept her hands firmly holding the other girls shoulder. She held her at a short distance to observe her friend. Seeing the state of her friend, Octavia's eyes widened. As she was about to discuss what could have made the blonde look like she was alone in the woods for three months without a bath, she suddenly wondered why Clarke was speaking gonasleng. It wasn't until that moment that she saw the figure silently standing slightly behind the blonde. She internally scolded herself for missing that detail. "First, what the hell were you doing out there? You are a filthy fucking mess. Didn't you see a river you could wash up in? And second, care to fill me in on why Harper is with you?" She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms waiting for some explanations. "Oh and hi Harper." 

Clarke chuckled at the attempt at a firm expression on the brunettes face. "I was a little preoccupied last night and today. You know, lots of animals to hunt." She looked pointedly at Harper. While understanding that she would need to explain a few things to the other blonde if they decided to train her and keep her with them, she didn't want to overload the girl. Only five people knew everything about who Clarke was exactly. There were a few more that had some knowledge, but those were only pieces of information that they couldn't possibly know formed a very strange picture. "Anyways, I was just finishing up when I heard shouting. That led me to find Harper stuck in a hole in the ground being stalked by my new buddy." She looked around and noticed that the cat was nowhere to be found. A squeak from Octavia directed her eyes to the panther just coming around the side of the building. "O meet my shadow. We had a bit of a rough time at the start but she must have decided she liked me and followed us here."

"Or maybe she wanted you to lead her to more people so that she could choose from the buffet of humans!" Octavia's warrior training never prepared her for staring the cat in the eye. There was a reason that the Trikru were cautious in the woods despite it being their home. Black panthers were given wary respect for their beauty, savagery, and mystique. No Trikru would be foolish enough to go after one of the large cats and not just from fear. They were heralded as almost otherworldly and had many legends surrounding them.

Laughter was the only response that Clarke gave to that statement. There was a small part of her that thoroughly enjoyed having the constant tough and fearless attitude of the brunette crack. She easily brought Octavia's attention away from the lethal cat. "If you guys aren't busy, I'm going to need some help getting all of the animals I hunted back here. There is enough that it will take a few trips but it's not too far from the village so it should be done today." She waited until the brunette nodded in agreement until turning her gaze to Harper. "While we do that you can bathe and rest in the home we are staying in. It's not much but you can wash away the grime of the last few days and rest in an actual bed. And we do have some food there too. I know you ate already but I figure not eating for a few days will make your appetite come back soon." With a brief farewell and instruction on where to meet, Octavia led Harper to the place they were calling home for the time being. Clarke decided that they could use another hand in moving the animals back to the village and went in search of Anya. There was really no reason to pick her over any other warrior but the blonde felt a certain warmness towards the general. They weren't friends by any means, but the older girl showed kindness and respect where the others didn't. The fact that she could be very much like the sassy Raven was only a bonus.

It was easy to find the general. She was in the training grounds with the commander but instead of sparring, she was watching the commander fight against the warriors. Clarke easily sidled up next to the general and tried to view the sight of the commander objectively. It was difficult to not focus intently on Lexa however. With the heat caused by movement, the brunette had removed her thick coat and fought in a tight fitting sleeveless shirt. The muscles of her arms and shoulders rippled with each block and strike of her blade. There was a slight sheen of sweat coating the exposed flesh that made the commanders skin seem to glow in the limited sun shining from the overcast sky. Her face was set in stone, completely focused on her opponent but the green of her eyes shined brightly. Clarke tried not to notice all of those things but it seemed that the attempt only made them stand out more. Quickly the blonde shifted her eyes to Anya and noticed that the older woman was already looking at her and had an unreadable look in her gaze. _"If you weren't busy I was hoping to get your help with something."_

Anya simply stared at the girl beside her. It was clear that the blonde had been busy since the moment she literally flew out of the village. The girl was only dressed in her boots, pants, and breast wrap. She was modestly armed compared to the almost absurd amount of weapons she normally boasted. Only her dual swords and a dagger strapped to her thigh that was suspiciously familiar. Dried blood, both silver and red, coated most of her skin. There were random smudges of dirt over her form and leaves and branches sticking out from blonde locks. It was strange that the blonde acted as though she were completely put together and fully dressed. Even more strange was that the rough look seemed almost completely normal on her and didn't detract from the aura that surrounding her. _"I have nothing pressing. What is it that you needed?"_

_"There are quite a few animals that need to be brought back here. I didn't want them to go to waste after the...hunting that I did last night and this morning. I already have three others but would you be willing to_ _help?"_ A small part of her was nervous as she recognized the request being for more than simple help. The respect and kindness freely given from the general made her desire for more. For a friendship with someone not of the sky. She was well aware that Lincoln and Zion fit into that category but it wasn't the same. Anya was everything that defined being Trikru. She was fierce, loyal, respected, and emotionally removed. The sarcasm and dry humor however was uniquely Anya. 

The general agreed immediately and followed the blonde after notifying a few people that she would be gone for the day. Besides the wild look Clarke had adapted and the deadly companion that was following her, she felt a peace that she experienced with only a few others. Clarke led her to the entrance of the village and she saw that the three others of the blondes group waiting. It was clear that they were surprised by her presence but didn't comment on it. The blonde walked with an easy stride as she led them through the trees. _"Why did you ask for my help Klark?"_

_"I figured that we could use the extra hands but other than that , I just wanted your company. You don't look at me as an invader or as some kind of untouchable person. You were there to see who I am now and don't treat me any differently. That is rare. People look at me as though I am death itself with the only desire to be stalking the living or as some elevated being that could be their salvation. It's nice to be just Klark. Mind you, you don't know everything about me but I have respect for you watching me drink blood and acting as though it never happened."_ Clarke spared a thankful look to the general that was walking beside her. She could see that her words calmed the concern held by her friends.

Surprise was the most prevalent feeling that invaded Anyas mind, understanding immediately followed. _"It's really not a problem. Remember, I trained Lexa before she was the commander and I have stuck by her side even after. I am used to the knowledge that someone is made for much more than I could hope to understand. It seems that immense responsibility is thrust on those who never  asked for it. And the weirdness goes with it."_ She had seen the changes that happened to Lexa once she accepted the spirit of Heda. There was much that she didn't know or understand but the abnormal things didn't faze her too much. There were moments of shock and awe but they were quickly accepted and pushed aside. No matter the responsibilities and abilities shoved upon Lexa, and now Clarke, they were still young girls behind it all.

_"Well it's a lot and I appreciate the fact that you treat me the same."_ A rueful look passed over the blondes features. _"Well maybe not quite the same. You haven't tried to shove mud in my face so far."_

Surprising each of them, herself more than anyone else, Anya laughed _._ _"There is still time."_ Seeing the amusement on the blondes face and hearing te laughter of Octavia gave her an odd feeling of accomplishment. She never desired to be friends with the four with her but knowing that she brought them joy caused a foreign warm feeling to suffuse her chest.

_"So it's not much further. I put their bodies up into the trees to deter most predators but I can't say just yet that it worked."_ Clarke whipped her head to the side when she heard the feral growl from the panther. It seemed as though Octavia got curious about the seemingly docile animal and walked closer to her just to see if she could. The panther didn't take too kindly to it. The blonde figured that she would have to keep the cat in check often but wasn't planning on having to do so quite so soon. With fast and silent steps, Clarke inserted herself between the panther and her friend. A low but threatening growl rumbled from her chest in the air between the two. Clarke lowered her body so that the cat could clearly see her eyes and the intent clearly displayed there. They stared at each other for several moments before the panther huffed and turned her eyes away. _"Sorry O. It seems that she needs reminding on her place like our first showdown wasn't enough."_

_"What's her name?"_ Anya was more than curious about the deadly animal that followed the blonde. She was sure that once word spread that Wanheda had a black panther as a companion, fear and respect would spread. Even more so than there currently was. The general saw the surprised look and furrowed brow of the blonde. She raised a single brow to the other girl. _"Well it seems as though she is going to stick around. Keep in mind that black panthers are solitary creatures. They only show kindness and loyalty to their cubs and that is only until they are old enough to fend for themselves. The fact that you have one following you now means that she most likely will not be leaving your side. I for one don't what to constantly say 'cat', 'panther', and 'her'. So what's her name?"_

The question made Clarke pause. She hummed in thought. It wasn't that she didn't have the same thoughts but it was never a pressing issue that she needed to name the creature. Picking a name for something that was clearly not a pet was also a little daunting. It really wasn't her place to attach a name to a wild animal but the practicality of it made her decide to agree. _"Hmm...I'm not exactly sure."_ She looked to the panther as though to get her opinion on the matter. _"Faya?"_ No matter the pact that an animal cannot show many emotions, Clarke was sure that the panther wore an unimpressed look. _"Okay what about Skaifaya? I guess that's a no as well. Natshana?"_ Nothing but passive looks to each of those names. Helplessly, Clarke looked to the others for help. It was clear on each of their faces that they wouldn't be involved in the naming game she had going on. With a sigh, the blonde turned back to the panther. _"Fine. What about Trikova?"_ The panther seemed much more interested in that word and flicked her ears slightly towards the blonde. _"Okay Trikova it is."_ With a pleased hum, the blonde continued to lead the others to her killing tree.

The tree was easy to spot. It was huge but bare of leaves just as the others. The bark was light, almost white in color, with branches spanning at least ten feet from the trunk. The pure size of the tree or the simple beauty wasn't what halted the group in awe. It was the corpses of more than thirty animals that were strung within the tree that paused the group. It was a rather macabre sight to behold and each of the people observing it couldn't understand how it was possible for there being so many from less than a full day of hunting. They were easily shaken out of their slightly horrified stare by Clarke walking straight up the tree, scaling it, and bringing down a few of the animals for them to carry. The blonde lifted yet another bear and set it across her shoulders. It took six trips in order to bring all of the animals back and the man in charge of the kitchens wasn't sure what to do with all of the meat at first. Once the hauling was done, Anya headed off while the others stuck around to skin each kill. There was plenty of skins as a result of their work and they donated that to another villager to make furs and clothing for the people of the village. The people were practically falling over themselves to thank the four for everything that they had done to help them and while it was accepted and acknowledged, they weren't keen on being smothered with the appreciation. After working so long in the shadows with no one knowing their name, it was a huge adjustment for them.

Once the tasks were done for the day, all four headed back to the house they were calling home for the moment. They worked in silence to prepare dinner and a much needed bath for the blonde. Harper was sleeping soundly when they got back but seemed to slowly wake up with the increased activity in the house. Clarke and Octavia took a moment to smile in amusement at the flustered look on Harpers face when she awoke and saw Clarke stripping down to get in the bath. The four in the group were used to seeing each other bare and thought nothing of it to bathe in front of each other. It was more than normal to undress and bathe together in whatever river they found while they were traveling. The two girls almost forgot the more conservative attitudes held by the Skaikru. Clarke sighed as she sunk into the warm water and began to scrub away the grime she had accumulated over the past day. It was as good a time as any, so she decided to discuss with the others Harpers request as she soaked. _"_ "I apologize Harper. We have lived in close quarters for a while and modesty is pretty much nonexistent with us." She waited until she received a nod from a still blushing Harper to continue. "Okay guys, I didn't tell you about this earlier since we were busy and I wanted to talk about this without prying ears. I didn't exactly run into Harper on accident even though I found her that way. She let me know that she wants to stay with us and train. Fighting, weapons, customs, and language mostly. But also anything else that we decide. She told me that she wants to be a part of what we do, helping and protecting the clans. Not only to protect the innocents but to balance out all of the shitty things that we have all done since we landed. I let her know that the decision wasn't only mine since you guys would need to help too. So what do you think?"

The three looked at both blondes in surprise. They hadn't expected the request at all. It wasn't a secret that the sky fallen preferred to stay within their metal walls, inside of their metal homes. Most could care less about the troubles outside of their camp, even less about the people that resided in the world outside of their own. Those remaining of the 100 were different, but in almost three months not one of them willingly ventured out of Arcadia. They continued a discussion and argument in Trigedasleng. While it was rude to do so in front of Harper, they needed to figure out if the project was something that they wanted to take on considering the lifestyle that they carried. That talk continued for fifteen minutes.

The first to break out of the discussion and speak to Harper was Octavia. "Are you sure that you want to do this? I mean I get that you want to leave the Ark behind but it's not all rainbows and roses out here. We have fought more battles than you know, both me and Linc have almost died, a lot of Trikru look down on us because of our past, and literally just a few days ago Clarke tortured a man to death just to get answers that we desperately needed. Don't get me wrong, it's not all hard or terrible of course. We have helped so many people and we live in a world with those that we trust completely, all four of us have bled for the others and would do so again without question. Most of the time we live out of tents and constantly on the move. Are you absolutely sure that you want that lifestyle?"

There was no denying that Clarke was impressed. The brunette had always been pro-grounder, so she figured that Octavia would dress of their lives in pretty colors. But the description she gave was dead on. Their lives were hard and full of danger but it was full and happy. It was almost as those the hardness they faced made the good things even better. There could be no good without bad and each day demonstrated that. Clarke fully appreciated the direct and blunt statements from Octavia. They needed to know if Harper entirely understood what she was asking for and if it was in fact a life that she wanted to lead. "We can teach you everything that we know but I want you to be aware that it's going to take time. Since we are practically at the brink of a war, I can't guarantee that you will be ready before that happens. You are going to need to dedicate everything that you are to be ready to at least defend yourself so that you can survive what's coming. It's not going to be fun, you are going to be exhausted and sore all of the time, and I'm sure that you will end up hating all of us with how hard we will need to push you. I'm sure there will be times that you will just want to quit but I'm going to be straight with you. If we agree to do this, you need to accept all of the hardships that come with it. I don't want to waste my time in training you if you are just going to give up when it's too much." Clarke saw both Lincoln and Zion nod. She knew that they felt the same. There was no way that they would turn the other girl down but if they started, they would accept nothing less than full dedication.

"Look, I can't say that I will be able to handle everything. I know that there is so much that I will need to learn and there is no way that I will even know just how much that is right now. But regardless, I went into this with full understanding that I will need to give it my all. I didn't trek out into the woods with some silly ideal that I would meet you guys and become a warrior with little effort. I thought about this for months first to make sure it was what I wanted. If you are willing to teach me, I will dedicate my every breath to learning and mastering whatever you throw my way. There is no doubt that I may throw a fit when I've had enough but even so I will overcome that and continue on. This isn't just about escaping the Skaikru or some misguided notion of making up for my past mistakes. It's about doing what is right for people period, no matter who they are or where they come from. I want to help and I want to better myself so that I can be a warrior that others will look at and see constantly display loyalty and honor." Harper was more than passionate when she gave her explanation but the mostly stoic looks she got from the four before her was daunting. She wouldn't allow the fear of rejection or uncertain deter her however, she was fully honest in what she said so she would show the strength of her convictions in her words and body. The several moments of silence didn't break her certainty. She watched the others look at each other and somehow communicate silently to come to a decision.

Pride burned through Clarkes body. She was thrilled to know that the other girl felt the way that she did and had no hesitation in showing it. By look alone, the blonde could see the acceptance of her three companions. They each would work Harper to the point of exhaustion to prepare her for life as a warrior and also for the more extreme life of being included in their group. Clarke held each of them to a higher standard than she would a Trikru gona but that was only because she knew that they could live up to those expectations. If Harper was added in, she would not be exempt from the same standards however the blonde was aware that it would take time to get her there. Lincoln was already trained as a warrior. Zion had almost 100 years of experience and was well versed in various types of combat. Octavia was still learning but had already started her training with Trikru before the mountain; she also had the personality to thrive as a warrior. The only exception was Clarke. She never received typical training but instead gained experience from training with Wanheda as Clarke but also had the detailed memories from her past lives as Wanheda. Even though the advantage could be considered as unfair, that detail didn't really matter; the important thing was that Clarke was immensely familiar and the master of any and every fighting style and weapon. Each of them, while highly trained, had their own areas of expertise that they could use to train Harper. Hopefully with their knowledge and combined effort, teaching the other blonde wouldn't take as much time as was normally required. "Okay Harper, we have decided. We will train you. You will have specialized training with each of us individually and for the areas that we all of experts at, we will train together. You have a very full schedule ahead of you so I would recommend that you get as much sleep as you can tonight. We will begin in the morning." Clarke saw the smile and a relived expression spread across Harpers face. "I do want you to know however that if at any time you tell any of us that you quit, that you refuse to do anymore, we will stop training you and there will be no second chances. If for whatever reason you absolutely cannot continue, you must tell us that and why. We will determine on whether you actually need a break and what king if it's simply mental or physical exhaustion."

With a quick and enthusiastic agreement, Harper ate and immediately went to sleep. Lincoln, Octavia, Clarke, and Zion ate at a much more sedate pace while carrying on idle conversation. The intense training of the new member wasn't discussed that night, they each knew that they would need much planning to ensure that Harper had the most beneficial training but they wanted to enjoy the simple and quiet night while they could. After the meal was devoured, each of them turned in for the night. There was much to be done the next day and they decided to enjoy the calm before the training trials began.


End file.
